England batsman Nick Knight was struck during crowd disturbances that overshadowed the opening match of the triangular one-day series against Pakistanat Edgbaston yesterday.
According to England captain Alec Stewart, the Warwickshire left-hander took a blow as he sprinted from the pitch after Pakistan had won by 108 runs. "He told me he was struck," said Stewart.
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"It was a complete shambles. You don't want to see that thing in England or anywhere else. It ruined what was a good performance by Pakistan."
Waqar Younis'smen had reduced England to 159 for nine in the 44th over, with victory almost assured after they had made 273 for six. Knight and last man Alan Mullally were doing their best to stave off the inevitable when fans spilled onto the outfield.
Fireworks had already been let off in the crowd and the stumps disappeared in a sea of bodies.
Players were off the field for 31 minutes before order was restored, although it needed Pakistan captain Younis to walk round the boundary to restore calm.
"I couldn't reason with them, so I told them the match could have been abandoned. They [the officials] were thinking of abandoning it. This crowd was mostly Asian so it was necessary for me to calm them down," Younis said.
"This is nothing new for me," he said. "When you play in Pakistan and India this is quite common. It's a shame but we do really need some more security."
Pakistan defeated England easily after England could only make 165 in response to Pakistan's 273.