The Cricket World Cup, officially known as the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, is the premier international championship for One Day International (ODI) cricket. Administered by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the event takes place every four years and features preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a final tournament. Widely regarded as one of the most-watched sporting events worldwide, the ICC considers it the “flagship event of the international cricket calendar.”
India claimed a decisive seven-wicket triumph over arch-rivals Pakistan, securing an 8-0 lead in the ICC ODI World Cups. However, Pakistan’s team director, Mickey Arthur, conveyed that the match felt more like a “bilateral series” than an ICC event. Arthur didn’t provide further details to avoid potential fines but hinted at the absence of Pakistani support at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, where a massive Indian crowd of over 1,00,000 passionately supported the Men in Blue.
During the post-match press conference, Arthur mentioned, “Look, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t. It didn’t seem like an ICC event to be brutally honest. It seemed like a bilateral series; it seemed like a BCCI event. I didn’t hear ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ coming through the microphones too often tonight.” However, Arthur refrained from attributing Pakistan’s defeat to the lack of support, emphasizing that while it might play a role, it wouldn’t be used as an excuse. He stated, “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 players tonight.”
Former Pakistani fast bowler, Wasim Akram, expressed discontent with Mickey Arthur’s comments on the crowd, labeling them as an attempt to ‘divert attention’. Akram stated to Sportskeeda, “(He is) diverting attention. A lot of people are disheartened and you’re making them emotional. I think he should discuss what his job is as a professional rather than showing a new path. As a coach, he shouldn’t have said that.” Akram, a part of the former Pakistani pace battery, instead questioned the Pakistan team’s strategy for the crucial match. He asked, “Brother, tell me what was the plan? How did you prepare to play Kuldeep Yadav? That’s what we want to hear. Not this random stuff. You think you can get away with this. No, you can’t, unfortunately.”
