In addition, the PCB “lodged another formal protest” about the lack of a visa policy for Pakistan supporters and the delays in granting visas to Pakistani media.
Regarding the fan behavior aimed at the Pakistani players during their match against India at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium over the weekend, the PCB has officially complained to the ICC.
India easily defeated Pakistan in a match that their team director Mickey Arthur subsequently likened to a bilateral rather than an ICC fixture. Only a small number of Pakistani supporters were present in the throng, which was reported to be over 100,000, as obtaining a visa was preventing them from crossing the border. Arthur also questioned why there was no Pakistani music playing in the stadium, bringing up Dil, Dil Pakistan—a song that is often played at Pakistani games at ICC events.
However, the PCB’s accusations center on more particular occurrences that were made public via social media recordings. “Jai Shri Ram” shouts were aimed at Mohammad Rizwan as he walked back after being removed, while loud jeers were thrown at Pakistan captain Babar Azam after the toss. According to information obtained by ESPNcricinfo, the PCB has also mentioned instances in which Hasan Ali was subjected to similar taunts while fielding during India’s chase.
The section 11 of the ICC’s anti-discrimination policy for international cricket has been referenced in the complaint, which was sent to the ICC management today. The subsection addresses spectator enforcement: “The ICC and each of its Members should take such steps as it considers necessary to prevent the occurrence at International Matches played within its jurisdiction or those played as part of an ICC Event (as applicable) of Inappropriate Conduct by spectators and to ensure that any such conduct is dealt with in a timely manner by the Member or ICC (as applicable) or others before, during and/or after the International Match (as may be appropriate).”
The regulation states that any such occurrence must be recorded in writing by an anti-discrimination administrator (chosen by the host board) and sent to the ICC’s anti-discrimination department representative within two weeks of the incident.
The PCB brought up the issue of visas being denied to Pakistani fans and to a small number of media thus far in the same protest.
“Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has lodged another formal protest with ICC over delays in visas for Pakistani journalists and absence of a visa policy for Pakistan fans for the ongoing World Cup 2023,” the PCB stated in a statement.
