Former Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), who recently complained to the International Cricket Council (ICC) alleging inappropriate behaviour from the Ahmedabad crowd towards Pakistan players during the World Cup match with India at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
PCB also lodged a formal protest with the cricket governing body over the delay in visas for Pakistani journalists and the absence of a visa policy for Pakistan fans for the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023.
Kaneria, who is one of the few Hindus to play for the Pakistan cricket team, took a dig at PCB saying that the board is just finding fault in others.
"Who asked Pakistani journalist Zainab Abbas to comment against India and Hindus? Who asked Mickey Arthur to call ICC event as BCCI event? Who asked Rizwan to perform Namaz in playground? Don’t find faults in others!," Kaneria wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
In a statement released on their official X account, PCB said, "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," it added.
During the match that ended with a comfortable win for India, videos of Pakistani players being subjected to religion-centric chants and boos were also circulated. One of the videos showed the crowd chanting "Jai Shri Ram" when Pakistan player Muhammad Rizwan was walking into the dressing room after scoring a 69-ball 49.
Meanwhile, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was also booed by the fans when he was speaking at the toss.
Recently, DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin termed the fans' behaviour as "unacceptable". Taking to X, he wrote, "India is renowned for its sportsmanship and hospitality. However, the treatment meted out to Pakistan players at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is unacceptable and a new low. Sports should be a unifying force between countries, fostering true brotherhood. Using it as a tool to spread hatred is condemnable."
Pakistan cricket team director, Mickey Arthur had also come up with a sharp reaction post the India vs Pakistan clash. He said the India vs Pakistan match did not seem like an ICC event and that it reminded him of a BCCI event or a bilateral series in India.
"Look, I'd be lying if I said... It didn't seem like an ICC event, tonight, 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," Mickey Arthur said.
"So yes, that does play a role, but I'm not going to use that as an excuse because for us, it was about living the moment, it was about the next ball and it was about how we were going to combat the Indian, the Indian players tonight," he added.