ICC Men’s ODI World Cup: ‘IND vs PAK felt like a BCCI event’ – Pakistan’s Mickey Arthur

Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur took a dig at cricket’s governing body on Saturday, claiming the absence of support for his team in Ahmedabad’s 132,000-capacity stadium made the occasion look like “a BCCI event” rather than an international marquee match-up.

Pakistan fans were effectively banned from the ground after failing to secure visas to cross the border, leaving the arena awash with the blue shirts of India supporters as the hosts coasted to a seven-wicket victory.

Arthur’s team were backed only by a handful of expatriate Pakistan fans who had made the trip from the United States and United Kingdom.

Asked how much a factor the partisan crowd was against a “timid” Pakistan team, Arthur replied: “It didn’t seem like an ICC event to be brutally honest.

“It seemed like a bilateral series; it seemed like a BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) event.”

Arthur accused the public address system organisers of favouring India by refusing to play “Dil Dil Pakistan”, the nation’s unofficial anthem.

“I didn’t hear ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ (‘My heart is Pakistan’) coming through too often tonight.

“So yes, that does play a role, but I’m not going to use that as an excuse.”

Since the 2008 attacks on Mumbai, India and Pakistan have not played a full bilateral series as...

Read more