2 min readUpdated: Sep 10, 2026 09:47 AM IST
The touring Pakistan U19 team was mistaken for asylum seekers by a group anti-immigrant protestors in Portsmouth. (PCB/AP Photo)The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) nightmare England tour nearly added another bizarre chapter when their touring Under-19 team was mistaken by a group of anti-immigrant protesters for asylum seekers on Wednesday.
The Guardian reported that a group of masked protesters gathered outside the four-star Marriott hotel in Portsmouth after reports suggested that about 40 men who did not seem to be English had arrived there.
The situation de-escalated swiftly after George Madgwick, a Reform councillor, called the hotel to seek clarity and mediate between the team and the protesters after a “massively unfortunate incident”.