The turn of events on and off the field at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Saturday has left the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) unhappy.
Sources told The Telegraph that the PCB is considering options, including lodging a complaint with the International Cricket Council (ICC) about the boorish behaviour of the crowd towards its cricketers during the match.
Pakistan suffered an ignominious seven-wicket loss at the hands of Rohit Sharma’s men following a batting collapse midway through their innings.
While captain Babar Azam was subjected to toxic remarks from a section of the crowd during the toss, Mohammad Rizwan also had to face trolling on his way back to the pavilion after being dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah.
A spokesman for the Pakistan team in India said the matter was being handled by the Board from its headquarters in Lahore. Sources in the PCB said that the issue was “being looked into and no decision had been taken so far”.
One reason for the delay is that PCB chief Zaka Ashraf, who was at the ground in Ahmedabad, will reach Lahore on Monday.
Fans from Pakistan had not been granted visas for the tournament resulting in the team playing in front of a partisan crowd. It wasn’t the same during the T20 World Cup in 2016, when India last hosted a global event. In the 2011 World Cup, 6500 visas were issued for Pakistani fans to watch the semi-final in Mohali.
Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur questioned the logic of not allowing fans from across the border.
“It didn’t seem like an ICC event to be brutally honest. It seemed like a bilateral series; it seemed like a BCCI event. I didn’t hear ‘dil dil Pakistan’ coming through the microphones too often tonight,” Arthur said after the match.
Pakistan head coach Grant Bradburn shared similar sentiments. “We are really sad that our supporters aren’t here,” he said.
“They would love to be here and I am sure Indian cricket fans would love our supporters here as well. It was certainly unusual in that way. So it did not feel like a World Cup game, honestly.”
The Pakistan team reached Bangalore on Sunday and will play Australia on October 20.
