Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah come to blows during training, PCB likely to take action

Karachi: In an ugly incident just ahead of the first Test match between Australia and Pakistan, Pakistani pace spearhead Wahab Riaz and leg-spinner Yasir Shah got into a scuffle during practice session at Brisbane.

As per a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official, both the players hit each other following an argument while playing football on the eve of the opening Test of the three-match series against Australia starting from Thursday.

"Both [players] had an exchange of words but it wasn't serious," media manager Amjad Hussain Bhatti was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. "Both were playing football and naturally while tackling one got pushed. So that [altercation] was mainly [in] the heat of the moment.

"Both were immediately separated to avoid it going any further. But now, they are both fine and have apologised to each other too. They have realised that this incident could have been avoided."

However, Shah and Riaz later appeared in a video posted on YouTube playing down the incident.

"Yasir and I are great friends," Riaz said. "Nothing of the sort happened. We are not against each other.

"There is no disunity between us. We will play together (on Thursday), and you have to pray for us."

A Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman said action against the duo was being considered but was unlikely to go further.

Altercations during international tours is nothing new to Pakistani players with the scuffle between former fast-bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Muhammad Asif in Johannesburg in 2007 ICC World Twenty20 being the most infamous one.

The Gabba Test will be followed by games at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (December 26-30) and the Sydney Cricket Ground (January 3-7, 2017).