ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, Ind vs Pak: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has lodged several complaints with the International Cricket Council (ICC) following the India-Pakistan match at the ICC World Cup 2023. These complaints focus on reported instances of “inappropriate behavior” by the crowd and various visa-related problems faced by Pakistani journalists and fans. On October 14, a massive crowd of more than 100,000 spectators watched India secure a 7-wicket victory against Pakistan at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. This win furthered India’s flawless World Cup record against Pakistan to 8-0. Despite the triumph, the atmosphere at the stadium was far from friendly.
Videos depicting religious-based taunts aimed at Pakistan’s cricketers circulated widely on social media platforms, as reported by the Associated Press. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) promptly took action, filing a formal complaint with the ICC without delay. Furthermore, the PCB expressed dissatisfaction regarding the delays in visa approvals for Pakistani journalists intending to cover the World Cup. Due to these delays, only a handful of reporters from Pakistan managed to reach Ahmedabad, resulting in limited coverage of the tournament in Pakistan.
Some spectators targeted Mohammed Rizwan with religious chants as he walked back to the pavilion after his dismissal, leading the PCB to file a complaint with the sport’s governing body. Pakistan’s Director of Cricket, Mickey Arthur, confessed that his players were overwhelmed by the enthusiastic crowd during their seven-wicket defeat against India.
As quoted by the PCB, “The PCB is extremely disappointed to see that journalists from Pakistan and fans are still facing uncertainty about obtaining an Indian visa to cover Pakistan games in ICC World Cup 2023.” This circumstance led to another grievance from the PCB, concerning the lack of a well-defined visa policy for Pakistani fans desiring to attend the games in India.
As per the official statement by the PCB, “The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has lodged another formal protest with the ICC over delays in visas for Pakistani journalists and the absence of a visa policy for Pakistan fans for the ongoing World Cup 2023,” the PCB tweeted. “The PCB has also filed a complaint regarding inappropriate conduct targeted at the Pakistan squad during the India vs Pakistan match held on 14 October 2023.” The tension surrounding the World Cup goes beyond the playing field. Senior PCB officials are proactively exploring diplomatic avenues to address these concerns. PCB chief Zaka Ashraf held talks with Pakistan’s foreign secretary, urging him to engage with India’s Home Ministry regarding these issues, as reported by ANI.
Ind vs Pak Match: ICC Unlikely to Take Action Against Complaints
The ICC is unlikely to act on the Pakistan Cricket Board’s complaint regarding the unruly crowd behavior during their World Cup match against India in Ahmedabad. This is because the anti-discrimination code only applies to individuals and does not extend to groups, as per the current regulations.
A veteran official, who has worked with ICC & BCCI, on condition of anonymity has expressed his thoughts on the decision to be taken.“The ICC takes every complaint very seriously but code is about individuals. I don’t know what exactly the PCB is looking at but it will be very difficult to take any tangible action.”
He went on to further explain, “The ICC may identify individuals if there are charges of racism but if thousands of people are shouting a slogan, what can you do? No player was injured by any ‘missile’ hurled from the gallery? A partisan crowd is expected. That’s the pressure of elite sport.”
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