The ICC World Cup 2023, hosted by India across ten different venues, has come under scrutiny from former Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Hafeez. The 42-year-old, who played 392 international matches for Pakistan, did not mince his words as he criticized the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for what he perceives as poor planning and organization.
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Hafeez said on a local sports show,
“We have seen the overall World Cup in just four days, till now, I have seen poor organising and poor planning from the organisers,”
Expressing his discontent on a local sports show, Hafeez lambasted the overall organizing and planning of the World Cup, asserting that major decisions should not be made with a “shallow-minded approach.” He highlighted the disappointing response from the crowd, emphasizing the need for a global perspective when hosting such a prestigious event.
“The second biggest issue of this World Cup is the poor response from the crowd. When you are hosting a global event, then you have to make decisions globally [on a bigger scale]. You cannot make big decisions with a small small-minded approach.”
Hafeez delved into one of the pressing issues of the World Cup—the outfield at Dharamshala’s HPCA Stadium. The former cricketer expressed serious reservations about the safety of the players, pointing out that the surface poses a significant risk. The incident involving Afghanistan’s Mujeeb ur Rehman, who narrowly escaped injury during a boundary-saving dive, underscored Hafeez’s concerns.
“No one has talked about it but Dharamshala’s outfield is a big question mark. It’s not safe for the players,”
In his concluding remarks, Hafeez stressed the importance of dealing with an event of this magnitude in a global manner. He asserted that every team’s fans should have access to visas, regardless of their origin, and criticized the lack of a comprehensive approach in managing the World Cup.
“It does not matter from where they are, fans of every single team should get visas. If you can’t deal this [an event as big as the World Cup] in a global way, then its impact will not be global.”
Mohammad Hafeez’s candid criticism of the BCCI’s handling of the ICC World Cup 2023 sheds light on various issues plaguing the tournament.
As the World Cup progresses, it remains to be seen how these issues will be resolved and whether they will impact the overall success and perception of the tournament.
