Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer took a playful jab at Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur for his comments regarding the BCCI and fans following Pakistan’s resounding defeat to India.
The Indian team convincingly defeated their arch-rivals by seven wickets on October 14th at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. In a post-match press conference after the one-sided match, Arthur expressed his opinion that it felt more like a bilateral series organized by the BCCI than a World Cup contest at an ICC event.
Arthur remarked: “To be brutally honest, it didn’t seem like an ICC event. It felt like a bilateral series; it felt like a BCCI event. I didn’t hear ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ coming through the microphones too often tonight.”
Arthur believed that such factors may have influenced Pakistan’s performance in the match, though he added: “Yes, these things play a role, but I won’t use it as an excuse. For us, it was about living in the moment, focusing on the next ball, and devising strategies to combat the Indian players.”
Jaffer, in response, couldn’t resist some good-natured banter and made a reference to Pakistan’s recent home series losses against Australia and New Zealand. He humorously shared his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter):
I wondered why Pakistan lost home series vs both Aus and Eng, but thanks to Micky Arthur now I know it was because stadium DJ didn't play 'Dil Dil Pakistan' enough and majority of fans were wearing blue jerseys 🙂 #INDvPAK #CWC2023 pic.twitter.com/sYpWovziYF
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) October 15, 2023
“I had been wondering why Pakistan lost their home series against both Australia and England, but thanks to Mickey Arthur, I now understand that it was because the stadium DJ didn’t play ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ often enough, and most of the fans were seen wearing blue jerseys 🙂 #INDvPAK #CWC2023”
