‘Ek Pakistani fan ne meri aankh k niche keel mardi thi’ – Irfan Pathan recalls being hit by nail during India vs Pakistan clash after PCB’s complaint in ODI World Cup 2023

Team India defeated Pakistan in their third game of the ODI World Cup 2023 on October 14. Notably, following the loss, Pakistan’s team director Mickey Arthur and the Pakistan Cricket Board have slammed the Indian Cricket Board and logged a complaint to Apex Cricket Council about the nasty and creepy behavior of Indian fans towards Pakistani players. Indian cricket fans have chanted some slogans and booed Pakistan skipper Babar Azam during the toss.

Meanwhile, following that incident, former India cricketer Irfan Pathan has revealed the scary moment when he faced the same situation when he was in Pakistan for the bilateral series. The well-renowed cricket commentator reveals that when he was playing in Pakistan, one of the Pakistan fans tried to hurt him during the play. In addition, the former left-arm pacer reveals that this situation halted the play for 10 minutes; however, they didn’t pay any attention and focused on playing good cricket.

“Peshawar me ham khelne gaye the, tab ek Pakistani fan ne meri aankh k niche keel mardi thi. Lekin hamne iss baat ka batangad ni banaya. (We were playing a game in Peshawar, when a fan threw a nail at me, which struck me under my eye. The match was halted for 10 minutes, but we did not pay any heed to it as we were playing good cricket). Pakistan should stop making issues of crowd’s behaviour in India,” Irfan Pathan said on commentary.

A partisan crowd is expected during India vs Pakistan clash: Irfan Pathan

The 2007 T20 World Cup-winning star feels that the Apex Cricket Council may have identified the individuals, but thousands of fans were chanting slogans for the Pakistani team. Moreover, the former all-rounder clarified that no Pakistani players were hurt during the play in their recent clash in Ahmedabad.

“The ICC may identify individuals if there are charges of racism but if thousands of people are shouting a slogan, what can you do? No player was injured by any ‘missile’ hurled from the gallery? A partisan crowd is expected. That’s pressure of elite sport,” he added further.