"Aap logo ne kya plan kiya tha?" - Wasim Akram blasts Mickey Arthur for pointing fingers at BCCI after IND vs PAK 2023 World Cup match

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has blasted team director Mickey Arthur for his post-match comments after India won the 2023 World Cup blockbuster clash by seven wickets in Ahmedabad on Saturday, October 14.

Akram said Arthur should rather discuss their on-field plans like countering left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav's threat instead of talking about random stuff.

The cricketer-turned-commentator took the reference as Kuldeep dismissed Saud Shakeel and Iftikhar Ahmed for single-digit scores in the match as Pakistan lost their last eight wickets for just 36 runs.

Wasim Akram’s reaction came as Mickey Arthur expressed his disappointment with the home crowd only cheering for India throughout the game.

The 55-year-old asked whether the World Cup is being conducted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) or the International Cricket Council (ICC).

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.”

He continued:

"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."

Akram responded, as quoted by A-Sports:

"Bhaiya hame ye batao aap logo ne kya plan kiya tha? (Brother, tell me what was the plan?) Kuldeep Yadav ko kaese khelna hai? (How did you prepare to play Kuldeep Yadav?) That's what we want to hear. Not this random stuff. You think you can get away with this. No, you can't, unfortunately."

For the uninitiated, the world’s largest stadium – Narendra Modi Stadium - had a nearly 1,25,000-capacity crowd that cheered for the Men in Blue.

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"Mickey Arthur is diverting attention" - Moin Khan echoes Wasim Akram’s sentiments

Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Moin Khan echoed Wasim Akram’s sentiments. The 52-year-old said that Mickey Arthur shouldn’t have talked about the crowd in the first place.

He told A-Sports:

"[Mickey Arthur is] diverting attention. A lot of people are disheartened and you're making them emotional. I think he should discuss what is his job as a professional rather than showing a new path. As a coach, he shouldn't have said that."

Former Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik added that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should instead learn from the BCCI how to use the home crowd to their advantage. He said on the same show:

"We should praise them (BCCI or making the most of the home crowd). Hamare yahan event ho so ham bhi isi tarah utilize karen. (If we host such events, we should also utilize them). We should learn from them."

Babar Azam and Co. will next play against Pat Cummins-led Australia at the MA Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on October 20. They have won two of their first three games.