The ICC will review the criticism from Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur, who opined that the India-Pakistan World Cup match on October 14 in Ahmedabad had the atmosphere of a "bilateral series" rather than a true international encounter.
Mickey Arthur openly acknowledged, following his team's seven-wicket defeat, that the conspicuously partisan crowd at the densely populated Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad had a profound impact on his team.
The absence of Pakistani supporters at the venue was notable, as no fans were granted visas to cross the border. Only a small group of Pakistani journalists managed to arrive in time to cover the match, along with a limited number of fans of Pakistani origin who are either residents or citizens of other countries.
"Look, I'd be lying if I said it did [not affect us]," Arthur said after the match. "It didn't seem like an ICC event, to be brutally honest. It seemed like a bilateral series; it seemed like a BCCI event."
Asked to respond to Arthur's comments, ICC chairman Greg Barclay seemed to downplay them as the kind of criticism that is par for the course at such tournaments. "Every event that we have, there's always criticisms from various quarters," Barclay said in Mumbai, where he was attending the International Olympic Committee Session, which voted for T20 cricket's inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
"Things that perhaps we'll take away and try to work on, try to do better… so this event's only [at] the start. Let's see how the whole thing plays out and we'll go away and we'll review what could change, what we can do better, how we can improve World Cups and the general offering around cricket.
"We will just take it as it plays out, get to the end of the event. I'm satisfied that it will still be an outstanding World Cup."
The BCCI, the financial powerhouse of the global game, had already faced criticism for delaying the announcement of the World Cup fixture list until just three months before the tournament commenced.
The schedule was abruptly revamped a few weeks after its initial publication, with the dates of some of the most significant matches being altered.
In the meantime, fans have voiced grievances about online ticketing failures and matches that do not include the host team have experienced low attendance.
Meanwhile, Barclay defended the organisation of the World Cup by saying, "This event has only just started, let´s just see how the whole thing plays out. Then we will review what we could change, how we can improve World Cups and the general offering around cricket."
"I´m satisfied that it will be an outstanding World Cup."
