A few weeks after making a rather unconventional claim that the 2023 World Cup felt more like a “BCCI event rather than an ICC event” following Pakistan’s loss to India in Ahmedabad, the team’s cricket director Mickey Arthur raised eyebrows once again with a new statement.
This time, ahead of their crucial game against New Zealand in Bengaluru, he suggested that the heightened security measures, which have confined the players to their hotel rooms, have played a role in their lackluster performance in India.
Pakistan finds itself teetering on the edge of World Cup elimination after suffering four losses in their last five matches, leaving them in the sixth spot on the points table. This disappointing run included a four-match losing streak, an unprecedented occurrence for Pakistan in World Cup history, before they managed to break it with a victory against Bangladesh.
While the win in Kolkata injected a glimmer of hope into Pakistan’s chances of reaching the semi-finals, a second consecutive victory against an injury-plagued New Zealand team at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday could see them through.
On the eve of this crucial match, the team director attributed the players’ mental strain to the “oppressive” security measures in India, which reminded him of the COVID-19 era. He mentioned that the extensive security arrangements made the players feel isolated, almost as if they were back in the days of strict COVID-19 restrictions. Their daily routines, including breakfast, were strictly separated from others, and this lack of freedom took a toll on the team.
Mickey Arthur said, "we're feeling suffocated under such a heavy security. It feels like we're in a COVID period". pic.twitter.com/GtEKeB5Heq
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) November 3, 2023
Moreover, he noted that the Pakistani players not participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL) had put them at a disadvantage compared to other teams. Pakistani cricketers were allowed to be part of the IPL only in its inaugural season before political tensions between the two countries led to their exclusion from the league starting in 2009.
During a pre-match press conference in Bengaluru, Arthur acknowledged the disadvantage posed by their absence from the IPL but emphasized that he wasn’t making excuses for the team’s performance.
