The high-voltage clash between India and Pakistan didn’t live up to the expectations of the fans. Everyone expected it to be a thrilling contest, and Pakistan was in the game for the first half of the first innings. But they had a horrible batting collapse and lost their last eight wickets for just 36 runs.
As a result, Pakistan got all out for just 191 runs in 42.5 overs. India chased down the target in 30.3 overs and made 192/3. Rohit Sharma scored 86 off 63 balls, and Shreyas Iyer remained unbeaten on 53 runs. With that, India collected two points each to top the table.
However, it was a thrashing win for India over the archrival. And it seems that Pakistan was not able to digest a loss, and many statements have been made by their former cricketers. Even team director Mickey Arthur went on to make an allegation in the post-match presentation.
He said that it didn’t feel like an ICC event (because of the Indian crowd) it looked like a bilateral series. Notably, not just Arthur, but Pakistan head coach Grand Bradburn also complained about the lack of support with no Pakistani fans.
He said, “We are really sad that our supporters are not here. There is no familiar music for us today. So, it did not feel like a World Cup game, honestly.” However, it seems that such statements have reached the International Cricket Council (ICC), and they have made their view clear.
ICC chairman Greg Barclay shut down such criticism amid the International Olympic Committee session in Mumbai. As per the report from AFP, Greg said, “Every event that we have, there are always criticisms from various quarters.”
He further said that it is just the start of the World Cup, and we will look at how it goes on and review it at the end. Once it is complete, we will look into the whole event and try to make it better next time around.
