Lancashire have apologised for an incident which occurred during the fourth England v India Test at Old Trafford last week, in which a member of the crowd was ejected from the venue after refusing to cover up his Pakistan team shirt.
Following the final day's play, Farooq Nazar – a fan in the stands at Old Trafford – posted a video which showed a member of the ground's security staff requesting that he cover or change his shirt, which was a green Pakistan limited overs team shirt. The security guard said he had been sent to ask that the shirt be covered, which Nazar refused to do. He was then escorted out of the stands by police officers and, according to a statement from Lancashire, "asked to leave the stadium by stewards and police officers due to unacceptable behaviour directed towards the stewarding team".
The club has since conducted a review, and apologised for "any upset and offence caused which was not intended and will review its procedures for handling similar situations in the future".
Lancashire: Our team adopted a safety-first approach
In a statement, the club said: "Firstly, we wish to make it clear that there was no intention to remove the individual simply for wearing a Pakistan cricket shirt. The approach taken was informed by an incident on Saturday, during which a group of supporters waved a Pakistan national flag, leading to tensions with nearby Indian fans. In that case, our stewards were able to de-escalate the situation by respectfully asking the individuals to put the flag away, which they did without hesitation.
pic.twitter.com/hlMw6m3GMu
— Aatif Nawaz (@AatifNawaz) July 27, 2025
A spectator who attended the Test Match at Old Trafford today was asked to cover up his Pakistan shirt. Why? Can you explain @lancscricket? How can it be in any way wrong to wear a cricket shirt to a cricket match? Are we setting new rules where you can…
"In light of this context, our team adopted a precautionary, safety-first approach on Sunday [Day Five of the England v India Test]. A stand supervisor politely asked the individual to cover his shirt in the interest of his own safety and to avoid any potential escalation. Despite several courteous requests from the supervisor and the response team, the individual repeatedly declined to comply."
Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated over recent months after a brief armed conflict between the two countries earlier this year. The two national sides play on neutral ground in ICC events, with India playing their matches in Dubai during this year's Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy. Pakistan women are set to play their match in this year's India-hosted World Cup in Sri Lanka.
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Lancashire as a club have built links with India over recent years, with Hundred franchise Manchester Originals – based at Old Trafford – now 70 per cent owned by the RPSG Group, who also run Lucknow Super Giants.
Before the statement was issued by Lancashire, ECB CEO Richard Gould said Nazar was known to the ECB from previous incidents. "There may well be context [to what happened] and I know the ground is looking at that," said Gould. "We've also referred it along to the Cricket Regulator to make sure they are aware."
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