"It was extremely tough not having any Pakistan support" - Mickey Arthur on 'tough hostile' environment during IND vs PAK World Cup match

Former Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur was in the headlines after his team's defeat to India in a 2023 World Cup game in Ahmedabad when he spoke about the lack of support for the Men in Green.

Arthur shed light on the importance of support for the team even if they are playing away He credited his players for not getting intimidated by the Ahmedabad crowd but felt that the lack of support played a role in Pakistan's loss.

Speaking to Wisden, Arthur shed light on his experience of that encounter between the arch-rivals:

"It was extremely tough not having any Pakistan support, because the one thing that really drives the Pakistan team is the incredible and unbelievable support they receive at grounds and hotels.

"As you can imagine it was a tough hostile environment in Ahmedabad, but we were expecting this, and to their credit our players never moaned or complained once. They cracked on and tried their best."

Pakistan's poor showing at the 2023 World Cup led to many changes in the PCB setup. However, Arthur clarified that the players are fully focused on the task at hand:

"The outside noise with Pakistan is incredible. You just have to check your Twitter feed to see so many fires that are ignited out there, that have absolutely no truth attached to them.

"You end up – and I found this out the first time – you’re just constantly extinguishing those fires and chasing your tail. What we knew within our team was our game plan and the defined roles that the players had, and we cracked on with it."

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Mickey Arthur sheds light on Pakistan's hybrid model for 2023 Asia Cup

Pakistan had to accept the hybrid model of the Asia Cup last year.

Mickey Arthur said that constant travelling from Pakistan to Sri Lanka and vice versa to play their games took a toll on the players:

"For the players it was literally: finish a game in Pakistan, shower, then straight to the airport, overnight flight back into Sri Lanka, then playing a game two days later, and they had to do this at least three times.

"It was incredibly tough for the players, and I found that they very clearly burnt out towards the back end of the tournament. Unfortunately, they took that into the World Cup, which was incredibly disappointing."

Mickey Arthur has now left the Pakistan setup, with former all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez the new director of cricket for the men's team.