Asia Cup 2022: Massive fire breaks out outside the Dubai International Stadium ahead of India vs Afghanistan

Chaos ensued outside the Dubai International Stadium even before the first ball of the match was bowled. A building situated near the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, which is set to host the Asia Cup Super Four clash between India and Afghanistan, was engulfed in flamesmerely hours before the start of the match.

The incident took place as eager fans were making their way into the stadium to watch the two teams lock horns with each other. The fumes from the flame were visible from inside the stadium as fans looked on in horror. However, it was brought to heel by the quick response of the concerned authorities shortly after the issue was brought to their attention.

Reports suggest that the flame did not affect the timeline of the match as the teams were allowed to approach the venue and initiate their pre-match rituals per the pre-existing schedule. It was a makeshift building outside the stadium that saw itself going up in flames.

As things stand in the tournament, both India and Afghanistan find themselves out of the race to compete for the Asia Cup title in the finals. However, their match will determine the third and fourth positions in the tournament.

The Men in Blue kicked off their Asia Cup campaign swimmingly, overcoming the challenges presented by Pakistan and Hong Kong on the trot to earn a spot in the Super Four of the tournament. However, they were subsequently dealt a poor hand, succumbing to Pakistan by a margin of five wickets and then Sri Lanka by a margin of six.

Despite these losses Team India still had hopes of appearing in the finals had Afghanistan outclassed Pakistan in their recent clash. However,Mohammad Nabi and Co. suffered a hard-fought loss at the hands of The Shaheens by a margin of one wicket in what was a final-over affair.