ICC To Investigate Mickey Arthur's 'BCCI Event' Remark After India-Pakistan Clash: Report
With more than 110,000 seats, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is the biggest cricket stadium globally. However, there were some complaints made about the event because of low attendance in the first few rounds of the competition and ticket sales.
The spectators at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium were ecstatic over the recent India vs. Pakistan match, which featured the two titans of cricket. India won the high-stakes match with a decisive seven-wicket victory.
Mickey Arthur, the coach of Pakistan's team, appeared dissatisfied with the outcome and made an unexpected statement. His criticism of the management following the match prompted an ICC review of his remarks.
Arthur was quite open about the mood in the stadium after Pakistan's loss in the match, saying it seemed more like a "bilateral series" than an international cricket match. The rationale for his remarks stemmed from the conspicuous lack of Pakistani supporters within the audience, as Indian supporters dominated the sea of blue.
"Look, if I claimed it [did not affect us], I would be lying. To be blunt, it didn't seem like an ICC event. According to Arthur, "It appeared to be a bilateral series; it appeared to be a BCCI event."
The main reason for the lack of Pakistani supporters at the crowded Narendra Modi Stadium was that they were unable to enter their adjacent country due to visa problems. A small number of supporters of Pakistani descent who were foreign residents or citizens attended the game, and only a small number of Pakistani journalists were able to cover it.
As ICC chairman Greg Barclay attended the International Olympic Committee Session in Mumbai, he played down Arthur's comments. He underlined that critiques are typical of big events and that the emphasis should be on making the next tournaments better.
"Things that we might try to work on, try to improve upon... so this is just the beginning of the event. "We'll go away and review what could change, what we can do better, and how we can improve World Cups and the overall offering around cricket," Barclay said, letting's see how everything works out.
Barclay maintained his positive outlook towards the current World Cup, saying that it would be recognised as a "outstanding" competition in the end. The India vs. Pakistan match set records for viewing and attendance, drawing huge crowds to the stadium and around the world, but the actual attendance figures were still unknown.
Wasim Akram, the former fast bowler for Pakistan, also objected to Arthur's remarks following Pakistan's loss to India and advised the Pakistani coach to see past the finger-pointing.