The International Cricket Council (ICC) will review comments made by Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur regarding the India-Pakistan match in the World Cup on October 14 in Ahmedabad. Arthur expressed that the match felt more like a bilateral series game rather than an international event.
In response to Arthur’s comments, ICC chairman Greg Barclay stated that such criticism is common at major tournaments and that they always receive feedback from various quarters. He mentioned that they would analyze the feedback, work on improvements, and strive to enhance the overall World Cup experience. Barclay made these remarks while attending the International Olympic Committee Session in Mumbai.
Mickey Arthur had criticized the ICC after the Pakistan-India match, suggesting that the lack of support for his team in Ahmedabad’s 132,000-capacity stadium made the event seem more like a “BCCI event” (Board of Control for Cricket in India) rather than an international marquee match. He also pointed out that the public address system organizers refused to play “Dil Dil Pakistan,” the unofficial anthem of Pakistan, which he perceived as favoring India.
Arthur, however, said that the lack of support in the crowd could not be an excuse for the team’s heavy loss to India. “So yes, that does play a role, but I’m not going to use that as an excuse because for us it was about living the moment, it was about the next ball and it was about how we were going to combat the Indian, the Indian players tonight,” he added.
