Masked protestors mistake Pakistan cricket team for asylum seekers outside hotel in England

Pakistan U-19 team caught in Portsmouth protest after being mistaken for immigrants.

Pakistan are enduring a tough time during their tour of England, having already lost two Tests; another one in the ongoing game in Birmingham would mean a humiliating whitewash for the team. Amid this rough time for the senior team, the Pakistan Under-19 team, who are also touring England at the moment faced a bizarrely distressful situation, when they were caught in the middle of an anti-immigrant protest in Portsmouth.

The Pakistan U19 team during its red-ball game against England U19 (AFP)

According to a report by The Guardian, the incident occurred on Tuesday (August 8) evening when a group of 30-40 people gathered outside the Marriott Hotel in Portsmouth, where the Pakistan U-19 team were staying. This was after rumours had spread online that a group of foreign nationals had arrived there. Police were called to the scene, after which officers established that the group was the Pakistan Under-19 team.

Reform councillor George Madgwick then helped clear the confusion after speaking with the hotel authorities and the Pakistan U-19 team coach. He then approached the protesters and explained that they had the wrong group.

"I spoke to the coach of the team, who was very understanding," Madgwick said. "I went out to the protesters and told them, 'You've got it wrong guys, it's a cricket club.' They left within a couple of minutes. It was a massively unfortunate incident,” he added.

What caused the misconception

The confusion reportedly began when a photo of a group of people, who looked like immigrants, but were actually the Pakistan team, was seen deboarding a bus. "Someone online saw a group of what looked like foreign nationals leaving the coach and put a photo of it online, and that's where it spurred from," Madgwick told the BBC. "It was mere speculation rather than based on truth or fact," he added.

Incident comes under scrutiny

The incident drew major criticism from Portsmouth North MP Amanda Martin, who said it was unacceptable that misinformation had resulted in young cricketers being targetted wrongly. "There is a legitimate debate to be had about immigration, but it must be based on facts, not misinformation or rumour," Martin said.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has checked on the Pakistan Under-19 team’s well-being and has reviewed their security arrangements for the rest of the tour, according to the Guardian report.

The Pakistan Under-19 team had begun their tour with a loss in a four-day match against England U-19 by 10 runs in Arundel. They then bounced back with a resounding 177-run win in a Youth ODI on Wednesday, September 9.