Cricket World Cup 2023: Top 5 most controversial moments 

Here are 5 big controversies from the recently concluded ODI World Cup.

Cricket World Cup 2023: Top 5 most controversial moments 

The esteemed ODI Cricket World Cup Trophy (Image via ESPN)

The 2023 ICC ODI World Cup was a tournament in which the sport of cricket was celebrated. 10 teams battled it out for a shot at glory and only the serial winners, Australia, got it. It was filled with iconic moments throughout the 45-day tournament and it was also filled with controversies. 

Which international tournament doesn’t have controversies? In this World Cup, it has ranged from pitches, to on-field fights and also Glenn Maxwell getting headaches from light-shows! The unavailability of tickets at the start of the tournament, the fans not attending matches or fans being extremely hostile have been something that was talked about. 

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Conspiracy theorists had the time of their lives as well, with many former Pakistani cricketers trying to claim India cheated throughout the tournament. Hasan Raza claimed that India used a different ball that helped their performance while Sikandar Bahkt believed Rohit’s coin-flipping technique was to ensure he won the toss. 

Top 5 most controversial moments in the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup 

1. Angelo Mathews is the first international batter to be Timed Out 

Angelo Mathews
Angelo Mathews (Image via ESPN)

Angleo Mathews became the first international batter to get timed-out after he took more than 2 minutes to get ready to face his first ball. Coming in to bat after a dismissal, Mathews took 2 minutes more than required to settle due to a broken helmet, but was timed out by the umpires after Bangladesh captain, Shakib Al Hasan appealed. What followed was rants by both sides and the cricketing world divided. 

2. No opening ceremony? 

Arijit Singh
Arijit Singh performed in the Narendra Modi Stadium (Image via ESPN)

The BCCI did not organize an opening ceremony for the 2023 World Cup, which garnered loads of criticism from fans and ex-cricketers. What made this decision more controversial was the fact that the match between India and Pakistan had a huge pre-match show, which again faced loads of backlash. 

3. Semi-final played on a used pitch

Used Pitch
Rohit Sharma examines the used pitch (Image via ESPN)

The semi-final clash between India and New Zealand garnered some controversy at the toss time as it was revealed the match was shifted from a fresh pitch to a used one. This brought up many conspiracy theories from fans saying that the BCCI did it to give India an advantage. 

4. Dharamshala outfield 

Dharamshala
The Dharamshala outfield was slammed by players for it’s poor condition (Image via ESPN)

The HPCA stadium in Dharamshala is loved by fans due to its location and scenery around the ground. Unfortunately the ground was heavily criticized by the players as the outfield was not suitable for diving. English captain, Jos Buttler, instructed his players to not dive so that they weren’t injured by the poor condition. 

5. Poor treatment of the Pakistani team by Indian fans

Babar Azam
Babar Azam in front of the Ahmedabad fans. (Image via ESPN)

The relationship between India and Pakistan has been pretty hostile for a long time. Due to the political tensions between these countries, the Pakistan team were hurled with abuses and anti-Pakistan chants during their match with India. The PCB lodged a complaint regarding this to the ICC, but there was no action taken. 

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