WAGAH, Feb 12: Some 2,700 Indians on Sunday crossed into Pakistan to watch a cricket match between the two South Asian rivals after three people were injured as thousands tried to rush across the border, officials said.

Authorities on both sides kept the Wagah checkpoint, 25 kilometres, from the northern city of Amritsar open for three hours more than usual to allow fans to cross over to Pakistan, an Indian immigration officer said.

Normally, frontier guards of both sides pull the giant iron gates at the Wagah shut after lowering their national flags at 4.00 pm, he said.

Another 300 Indian fans are likely to go to Pakistan on Monday, the immigration official said.

Earlier, three people were taken to hospital with minor injuries after people started throwing stones at officials at the road crossing between India and Pakistan.

Some 3,000 people had lined up since dawn at the border post to cross by foot into Pakistan and then on to Lahore, a distance of about 20 kilometres, for the third one-day international between the two teams on Monday.

The official said that on seeing the large number of people, border post staff closed the entry gate, infuriating the fans who then broke through the gate to reach the immigration office.

Immigration officials fled in panic and the crowd hurled stones at the office, smashing windows and triggering a minor stampede.

“It was difficult for the Custom and Immigration staff to clear the crowd of three thousand people at once,” the official said.—AFP