New Delhi: The Indian cricket team last Saturday defeated Pakistan in a one-sided affair, extending their undefeated World Cup streak against the arch-rivals to 8-0.
However, the Pakistani team management seemed to be looking for unprecedented excuses rather than reflecting on their own performance, as in the post-match conference, the Pakistani coach, Mickey Arthur, blamed the hostility of the crowd and the event managers for the loss.
What did Mickey say?
Mickey Arthur press conference #ShameOnBCCI pic.twitter.com/PgKWw0Gmjs
— Mohammad Ali Arif (@alikathuria001) October 14, 2023
After losing to India by 7 wickets, Mickey Arthur, in the post-match conference, said, “Look, I’d be lying if I said it did not affect us,” when asked about having no crowd support. “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.”
It was not just Mickey, but the Pakistani head coach Grant Bradburn also felt that the venue heavily favoured the Indian team in the match. He said, “We are really sad that our supporters aren’t here, they would love be here and I am sure Indian cricket fans would love our supporters here as well. It was certainly unusual in that way, no familiar music for us today. So it did not feel like a World Cup game, honestly. We didn’t expect anything else. We love the occasion and we are disappointed that we did not do justice to the occasion or justice to our many fans at home and globally.”
ICC Chairman responds
ICC to review Mickey Arthur comment
“Every event that we have, there’s always criticisms from various quarters,” Greg Barclay#ICC #GregBarclay #MickyArthur pic.twitter.com/MeYs3z3Bg9
— Sultan Khan (@MainHoonSultan7) October 16, 2023
When ICC chairman Greg Barclay was asked about what he thinks of Mickey Arthur’s comments, he responded by saying, “Every event that we have, there’s always criticisms from various quarters,” he further added, “Things that perhaps we’ll take away and try to work on, try to do better… so this event’s only at the start. Let’s see how the whole thing plays out and we’ll go away and we’ll review what could change, what we can do better, how we can improve World Cups and the general offering around cricket. We will just take it as it plays out, get to the end of the event. I’m satisfied that it will still be an outstanding World Cup.”
Greg made the comments while attending the IOC (International Olympics Committee) meeting in Mumbai, where they officially added cricket in t20 format into the Olympics.
#WATCH | After IOC votes to include Cricket in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, ICC chairman Greg Barclay says, “It gives us an opportunity to take this fast-growing sport to the biggest sporting stage in the world…I would like to think the sport would hold a permanent spot in… pic.twitter.com/SJNc7aMMed
— ANI (@ANI) October 16, 2023
How cricket experts responded to Mickey
Indian cricket experts blasted Mickey for his unprecedented comments by saying he should refrain from making such ugly comments after just one loss, as this loss doesn’t mean all is lost for Pakistan in the World Cup.
Wasim Akram and Moin Khan didn’t like Pakistan Team Director Mickey Arthur’s statement that It didn’t seem like an ICC event.
Do you agree with them?pic.twitter.com/UW0qXqKE69
— Tanveer Hassan (@tanveercric56_) October 15, 2023
Former Pakistani cricket player and a legend of the sport, Wasim Akram, said that Mickey is only trying to divert people’s attention from their lacklustre performance, but unfortunately, he cannot. He needs to answer for the horrible game plans they made against India.
Another former Pakistani cricketer, Shoaib Malik, said that Pakistan should learn from India how to make the most of the home advantage so that they can try to replicate the same while hosting events of their own rather than pointing fingers at BCCI.
