Aakash Chopra schools Mohammad Hafeez over controversial ‘World Cup being organised by ICC or BCCI’ query

Veteran Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez, criticising the pitches laid down for the ongoing 2023 World Cup, has posed a rather controversial question on social media, asking whether the tournament is being organised by ICC or BCCI.

Hafeez’s claim went viral shortly after he highlighted the issue with images of the Chennai pitch that hosted its second World Cup game on Friday, but was schooled by former India opener Aakash Chopra.

On Thursday, in conversation with a Pakistan channel, PTV Sports, Hafeez reckoned that the conditions of the Chepauk pitch for the World Cup match between New Zealand and Bangladesh will decide whether the tournament is truly being organised by ICC or does BCCI have a strong influence. Later on Friday, right after the pitch report was made for the Chennai track, Hafeez shared screenshots of the track laid down for New Zealand-Bangladesh game and that between India and Australia last week, reckoning that questions will be raised on the standards of pitches being used for World Cup matches.

“At first, tomorrow the decision will be made whether the tournament is being organized by the ICC or the BCCI. Till now, there are three venues where two matches have been played – Hyderabad, Delhi, and Dharamsala. The pitch conditions were similar and it behaved similarly in both games. If the pitch is the same in Chennai, which was used for India vs Australia, then it’s understandable. But if there are slight changes, you can understand who is organizing the tournament,” said Hafeez.