The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) registered an official complaint with the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding the mistreatment of the national squad during the Pakistan-India World Cup clash in Ahmedabad.
India secured a dominant victory, retaining their impeccable World Cup record against Pakistan as the PCB’s concerns were highlighted. The PCB emphasized the mistreatment of players, delays in journalist visas, and the absence of a visa policy for Pakistani fans attending the event.
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 Indian supporters.
In the post-match press conference, coach Mickey Arthur did not hold himself from being “brutally honest” about what he felt was a partisan atmosphere.
“It didn’t seem like an ICC event to be brutally honest,” Arthur had said. “It seemed like a bilateral series; it seemed like a BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) event,” he had added.
In response to the criticism, the ICC head said a day earlier that he was confident that India would host an “outstanding” World Cup.
In a statement issued today, the PCB said it had filed a complaint with the sport’s governing body regarding the inappropriate treatment of the players during the match.
The board said that it had also registered a “formal protest” with the ICC regarding visa delays for Pakistani journalists and the absence of a visa policy for Pakistani fans for the 50-over showpiece.
After several delays and repeated concerns by the PCB, Pakistan journalists finally got visas to cover the World Cup last week.
However, fans have been kept in the dark, with reportedly no correspondence whatsoever having taken place between visa application centres and the Indian High Commission regarding their process.
Earlier, the PCB had also approached the Foreign Secretary and raised concerns over delay in visas for Pakistani fans willing to travel to India for the World Cup.
