"The environment was hostile in Ahmedabad": Mickey Arthur on India-Pakistan ODI World Cup clash

Pakistans former team director Mickey Arthur admitted that the environment during the IndiaPakistan ICC World Cup 2023 clash was hostile After Pakistan failed to reach the semifinals of the global showpiece last year in India Arthur was replaced by former Pakistans allrounder Mohammed HafeezIt was extremely tough not having any Pakistan support The one thing that really drives the Pakistan team is the incredible support they receive at grounds and hotelsHere we never had that and that was quite tough in a World Cup particularly for the players Arthur was quoted as saying by the WisdenAlso ReadIN PHOTOS Indian players with most ducks in T20IsAs 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 onceThey cracked on and tried their best nevertheless it ultimately does play a role in motivation when you cant see or hear that support base around you he addedPakistans World Cup campaign was marked by offfield turbulence including the news of leaked WhatsApp conversations of Babar AzamHowever Arthur said all those outside commotions never really affected the team 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 he saidYou end up and I found this out the first time youre 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 There were unequivocally no massive disagreements with the players Arthur addedAlso ReadMum tested by AndhraBack in the year 2017 Mickey Arthur helped Pakistan to clinch the Champions Trophy title Later while holding to his job with English Country Derbyshire Arthur defended his decision to work with the Pakistan team as directorThe former South African cricketer also said that he found the remarks by some of the former Pakistan players calling him an online coachAnybody who knows me will also know that I will not commit 100 per cent if I cant do it With Pakistan I was never an online coach as I put together the coaching staff I was in constant contact with them every single day and knew exactly what was going on within the teamBecause of his great relationship with Pakistan Cricket Boards Chairman Najam Sethi Arthur accepted the job for a second time with Pakistan CricketI trust Najam Sethi implicitly We have a very good relationship and I went in to try and help him because I owe him a lot Hes the one who gave me my opportunity to return to international cricket after I had been sacked by AustraliaHe and I built up a good relationship One of the reasons I returned was to specifically work with Najam again he detailedArthur also advised the PCB to have a system where players start trusting the structure and believing in the selection process and play for the team If its constant change and instability players go into selfprotection mode and they end up playing for themselves just thinking about the next tourIts frustrating to witness that because players arent given a proper chance theres no honest communication and they know things are always going to change he saidWith PTI Inputs