Pakistan considering lodging a complaint with ICC over crowd behavior in IND vs PAK 2023 World Cup clash: Reports
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is considering approaching the International Cricket Council (ICC) over the crowd's actions at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad during the India-Pakistan 2023 ODI World Cup clash on Saturday.
The stadium was jam-packed for the high-profile encounter, which India ended up comfortably winning by seven wickets. There was an overwhelming majority of Indian fans at the venue, who reportedly made their presence felt early with heavy jeers when Babar Azam spoke during the toss.
Furthermore, religious chants allegedly did the rounds during the contest. Mohammad Rizwan was reportedly subjected to toxic remarks and trolling by the crowd after he was dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah in the first innings.
According to a report by the Telegraph, PCB is not pleased with what its players were subjected to over the course of the clash. As of now, the matter is being looked into by the higher figures at the headquarters across the border, and a final decision will be taken when PCB president Zaka Ashraf reaches Lahore on Monday.
Until now, the Men in Green had played their warm-up games as well as the league-stage matches in Hyderabad, where they were met with a supportive set of fans in the crowd. They notched consecutive wins at the venue, including a record run-chase (345) against Sri Lanka.
Pakistan coaches expressed disappointment over the absence of 'away' fans for the India-Pakistan encounter
Members of the coaching staff, Grant Bradburn and Mickey Arthur, had earlier spoken about the absence of fans from across the border for the clash.
Arthur, in particular, emphasized that the event had the markings of a bilateral series rather than an ICC affair. The controversial comments were met with a lot of criticism online.
“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," he said during the post-match press conference.
Bradburn also agreed with his colleague, sharing the view that the contest was not like a World Cup encounter.
“They would love to be here and I am sure Indian cricket fans would love our supporters here as well. It was certainly unusual in that way. So it did not feel like a World Cup game, honestly,” he said.
Pakistan are next scheduled to play Australia at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday.
Is the PCB justified in its claims against the crowd's behavior during the high-octane clash in Ahmedabad? Let us know what you think.