The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has lodged a complaint with the International Cricket Council (ICC) concerning the ‘inappropriate behavior’ directed at the Pakistan national team during the World Cup 2023 match against India in Ahmedabad on October 14, 2023.
During the India-Pakistan World Cup match held at the Narendra Modi Stadium, fans reportedly chanted inappropriate remarks directed at Babar Azam and his team. Mohammad Rizwan, in particular, received religious chants.
This reaction from Indian fans was said to have been sparked by Rizwan dedicating Pakistan’s record-chasing win against Sri Lanka to the people of Palestine.
Furthermore, a complaint was filed against Rizwan for offering a prayer during the game against the Netherlands on October 6, initiated by an advocate named Vineet Jindal. This incident marks the second complaint against Rizwan during the World Cup in India.
It’s worth noting that after dedicating his match-winning century against Sri Lanka to the people of Gaza in light of the Israel-Hamas conflict, the ICC did not take any action against Rizwan for his actions.
However, Pakistan cricket team director Mickey Arthur also said
“It didn’t seem like an ICC event, to be brutally honest. It seemed like a bilateral series; it seemed like a BCCI event.”
In addition to these issues, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) lodged a formal protest with the ICC over delays in visas for Pakistani journalists and the absence of a visa policy for Pakistani fans attending the ongoing World Cup 2023.
The delay in issuing Indian visas for Pakistani fans and journalists has caused frustration, with some journalists traveling to India after receiving their visas shortly before the game on October 14.
The World Cup began on October 5, but Indian authorities had not issued visas to Pakistanis to attend the event, leaving many in uncertainty.