Watch: Fan comes into pitch and salutes Pakistan's Shadab Khan; all-rounder hugs him

Cricket craze in Pakistan reached new levels when a fan stepped onto the ground to greet Shadab Khan during the ongoing second one-day international between Pakistan and West Indies in Multan.

The incident occured during the 39th over of Pakistan's innings when a fan came running into the middle of the pitch and saluted Pakistan's vice-captain.

Instead of backing away or reacting aggressively amid the COVID-19 protocols, the spin-bowling all-rounder gave him a hug, causing him to return celebrating.

Shadab Stopped & waited for a while so that the lucky fan could come & hug him♥️
#PAKvWI #shadabkhan https://t.co/jCADxFPT4M

However, the youngster couldn't make a massive difference with the bat and perished for 22 off 31 deliveries, an innings laced with two boundaries. He was dismissed by Alzarri Joseph. The home side took the field looking to wrap up the series and elected to bat first. Pakistan were 207-5 at the time of the incident.

Although Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam scored centuries, the other batters failed to score significantly.

Shadab Khan will have a role to play with the ball in the second innings

Pakistan, who reached 275 thanks to some valuable late runs from Mohammad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Khushdil Shah, have an uphill task with the ball at hand. The leggie, who ended up with figures of 10-0-37-1 in the first ODI, has to step up and deliver an impactful performance for his side to seal the series.

Pakistan picked up a five-wicket victory in the first ODI following Babar Azam's third consecutive hundred and half-centuries from Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq. Khushdil Shah's cameo of 41 from 23 deliveries including four sixes, was equally valuable in a tight finish.

A one-handed catch at full stretch 🔥

Brilliant from Shadab Khan 🙌

(📹 via @TheRealPCB) #PAKvWI
https://t.co/81er7KJS3Y

Thanks to the win, the Men in Green collected 10 valuable points for the ICC ODI World Cup Super League and boosted their chances of qualifying for the 2023 ODI World Cup.