Days after the historic win Pakistan had over India, the controversies around the high-voltage ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match on October 24 refuses to die. While a lot has been spoken, a statement from former Pakistan cricketer Waqar Younis sparked a fresh batch of controversy.
The former player on Tuesday (October 26), said on a Pakistani news channel that watching the Pakistani opener Mohammad Rizwan offering namaz “in front of Hindus was very special to him”. Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar was also on the show.
However, this statement did not sit well with the Indians and sports commentator Harsha Bhogle made sure to express his concerns about the same. He called the statement “dangerous” and said that the cricket world did not need to be divided by religion.
Bhogle tweeted and said, “For a person of Waqar Younis’ stature to say that watching Rizwan offering namaz in front of Hindus was very special to him, is one of the most disappointing things I have heard. A lot of us try hard to play such things down and talk up a sport and to hear this is terrible.”
For a person of Waqar Younis’ stature to say that watching Rizwan offering namaz in front of Hindus was very special to him, is one of the most disappointing things I have heard. A lot of us try hard to play such things down and talk up sport and to hear this is terrible.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) October 26, 2021
“You would think that cricketers, as ambassadors of our game, would be a little more responsible. I am sure there will be an apology on the way from Waqar. We need to unite the cricket world, not divide it by religion,” he added.
“I really hope that a lot of genuine sports lovers in Pakistan are able to see the dangerous side to this statement and join in my disappointment. It makes it very difficult for sports lovers like us to try and tell people it is just sport, just a cricket match,” he added.
You would think that cricketers, as ambassadors of our game, would be a little more responsible. I am sure there will be an apology on the way from Waqar. We need to unite the cricket world, not divide it by religion
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) October 26, 2021
As for the clash, Babar Azam’s Pakistan scripted history, defeating Virat Kohli’s India by 10 wickets in Dubai. Rizwan made an unbeaten 79, while Babar scored 68 not-out.
