Unique Response of Pakistan Team Director After Loss to Team India in WC 2023
The Mega Class between India and Pakistan cricket teams in the ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 was hyped up to be one of the biggest contests in the mega event. But ultimately, it was too one-sided, with the Indian cricket team coming out victorious by seven wickets against the Babar Azam-led side.
After the match, team director of Pakistan cricket team Mickey Arthur said that playing in a stadium where there was a partisan atmosphere gave the feel of a 'BCCI event'.
Arthur said, "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." Arthur, however, said that the lack of support in the crowd could not be used as an excuse for the team's heavy loss to India.
He further added, "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, the Indian players tonight.”