AHMEDABAD - Pakistan men’s team director Mickey Arthur has said that today’s ICC World Cup 2023 game against India seemed like a home event for India.
The Men in Green were playing in front of thousands of Indian fans at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium while Pakistan fans were rarely seen among the crowd. Mickey Arthur opined that it didn’t look like a game of an ICC event. “It didn’t seem like an ICC event tonight – let’s be brutally honest. It seemed like a bilateral series or a BCCI event. I didn’t hear Dil Dil Pakistan coming through the mics too often. That does play a role, but I won’t use it as an excuse,” he said in the post-match presser.
On the other hand, Arthur accepted they didn’t play well after having a great start with the bat. “I think we were timid with our overall performance today. I would’ve liked us to take the game on a bit more. It’s a massive occasion, but we went into our shells a little bit. To go from 155/2 to 191 all out is just not on,” he added.
Meanwhile, he appreciated the Indian team for their performance. “This Indian team is a very good cricket team. I think they’re well led by Rahul and Rohit. They look good and have all bases covered.”
Arthur pointed out there is no need to worry over this loss since they have won the last two games. “It is a long World Cup, we’ve won two out of three matches, We will not panic and will focus on the next match with patience,” he maintained.
