The International Cricket Council is all set to review Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur's "It seemed like a bilateral series" statement that came after the Babar Azam-led side suffered a seven-wicket drubbing at the hands of India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, October 14.
While addressing a bunch of journalists in the post-match press conference, Arthur pinpointed the absence of the Pakistan fans and the lack of support for the 1992 World Cup champions.
Pakistani fans have not received visas to come and watch the marquee tournament and hence the Pakistan team is playing in the showpiece event without crowd support.
"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," said Arthur after Pakistan's loss to their arch-rivals.
The incumbent chairman of the ICC Greg Barclay is yet to make any concrete statement on Arthur's remarks when he was asked by a bunch of reporters on the sidelines of the International Olympic Committee Session in Mumbai on Monday.
"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," Barclay was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Meanwhile, many former Pakistan cricketers including Wasim Akram, and Danish Kaneria among others have downplayed Arthur's comments.
