After Pakistan’s defeat, Mickey Arthur lamented the lack of support for the country and the fact that the song “Dil Dil Pakistan” wasn’t played throughout the game.
At the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, October 14, the much awaited India vs. Pakistan match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 lived up to expectations as the hosts India defeated their bitter rivals by a score of 7 wickets. While the game included many memorable moments for the Men in Blue, it also generated controversy when Mickey Arthur, the Pakistan team director, referred to the contest as a “BCCI event” rather than a “ICC event.”
Greg Barclay, the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), recently responded to Arthur’s statement and said that while every event faces criticism, improvements may be made.
“There are always criticisms of our events coming from different angles. Things that we could possibly learn from and seek to improve upon… So, this is just the beginning of the event. Let’s wait and see how everything turns out, and then we’ll assess what could change, what we can do better, and how to enhance World Cups and the overall cricket experience, according to Barclay, who was quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
The ICC Chairman went on to say that the World Cup will be a spectacular event.
“We’ll just see how it goes, finish the tournament, and take it as it comes. I’m confident it will still be a fantastic World Cup, he continued.
Notably, there weren’t many Pakistani spectators watching the game in the stands since many of them weren’t given tournament visas.
After the game, Mickey Arthur commented, “Look, I’d be lying if I said it did [not affect us].” To put it bluntly, it didn’t seem like an ICC event. It appeared to be a BCCI tournament and a bilateral series. After Pakistan’s defeat, Mickey Arthur had remarked, “I didn’t hear Dil Dil Pakistan coming through the microphones too often tonight.
India’s victory run now stands at 8-0.
Resuming the game, Pakistan was dismissed for 191 after being 155/2 after 29.3 overs despite being given the opportunity to bat first. Five Indian bowlers each claimed two wickets. Captain Rohit Sharma responded by carrying on where he left off against Afghanistan and scoring an incredible 86 (63). Along with him, Shreyas Iyer also reached his first half-century of the competition (53* off 62) and enabled his team to complete the task in 30.3 overs, winning by seven wickets. With the victory, India increased their record against Pakistan in ODI World Cup matches from 0-8 to 8-0.