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A group of people reached the hotel floor where members of the Pakistan under-19 cricket team were staying after protesters wrongly believed they were migrants, the Pakistan Cricket Board has said.
About 30 to 40 people congregated at the Marriot Hotel in Cosham, Portsmouth, on Tuesday evening after false rumours circulated that a coach carrying migrants had arrived.
Sumair Syed, chief operating officer of the Pakistan Cricket Board, said the team reported people “knocking on their doors” during the incident, but the players “behaved responsibly and didn’t escalate the situation”.
Hampshire Police said officers found no offences had been committed, and the crowd dispersed by about 21:00 BST.
The team went on to play a scheduled match the following day, Syed said.
He described the incident as “unfortunate” but said he was in contact with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which had “assured us that every possible measure should be taken for the security of the escort”.
“This is the responsibility of the whole sport to ensure the safety, security and well-being of the visiting team,” he said. “They are on it and we are hopeful that nothing of such sort will happen in the future.”
