ICC World Cup 2023 | 'A matter of victory or defeat': Former spinner Panesar on Pakistan's complaint to ICC over crowd reception

Pakistan`s winning streak in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 came to an end at the hands of India (Pic: AFP)

Former England spinner Monty Panesar feels that the ongoing tension brewing from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) lodging an official complaint for "inappropriate conduct" would not have been an issue if they had won the high-octane group stage clash against arch-rivals India in Ahmedabad's Motera.

Pakistan's winning streak in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 came to an end at the hands of Men in Blue, after they suffered a 7-wicket defeat last Saturday.

On Tuesday, PCB took to X (formerly Twitter) to share the news. "The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has lodged another formal protest with the ICC over delays in visas for Pakistani journalists and the absence of a visa policy for Pakistan fans for the ongoing World Cup 2023. The PCB has also filed a complaint regarding inappropriate conduct targeted at the Pakistan squad during the India vs Pakistan match held on 14 October 2023," PCB posted from its X handle.

Weighing in on the issue, Panesar told ANI, "If Pakistan won it would not be this big issue it is just a matter of victory or defeat."

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On Pakistan's much-vaunted bowling line-up failing to deliver the goods in the high-octane clash against the hosts, Panesar said, "Pakistan has the strongest bowling line-up but the pressure of the ICC tournament got to them. Big players freeze under such pressure so you need to have courage."

The likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali and Shadab Khan looked to be easy meat for the Indian batters, especially skipper Rohit Sharma, as they overhauled the humble target of 192 with almost 20 overs to spare.

After Men in Green fell to a crushing defeat, Pakistan's team director Mickey Arthur expressed his dissatisfaction with the partisan crowd.

Not mincing his words, Arthur said in the post-match press conference, "Look, I'd be lying if I said it did. 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."

Pakistan hoping to bounce back from the defeat to India in their next World Cup clash against Australia at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday.

(With agency inputs)