Video grab of panel discussion
By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, November 14: Pakistani cricketing fraternity on Tuesday hauled former Pakistan cricket team captain Abdul Razzak for drawing an analogy with Aishwarya Rai, an Indian film actor, to explain the elimination from the ICC World Cup. Razzak made an analogy while taking part in a panel discussion in the company of former cricketers Shahid Faridi and Umer Gul.
“As a cricketer I feel sorry that Abdul Razzaq made comments about Indian actress in a media talk. I hope he will be ashamed of what he said and apologize,” Mohammad Yousaf, former Pakistan cricketer, posted on X.
Razzak had claimed that there was no genuine intention to improve the Pakistani cricket. In explaining his argument, he made a nasty remark about Aishwarya Rai. Afridi and Gul were clapping and laughing at Razzak’s remark. He had said that one cannot expect a pious child after marrying the Indian film star.
“I highly condemn the inappropriate joke/comparison made by Razzaq. No woman should be disrespected like this. People seated beside him should have raised their voice right away rather than laughing & clapping,” Shoaib Akhtar, former Pakistani fast bowler posted on X.
Pakistani daily Dawn in a report said that Razzak has been a habitual offender against women in public life. “This is not the first such incident where Razzaq’s comments have landed him in hot water. In September 2021, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority had imposed a fine of Rs 200,000 on news channel Neo News for airing insensitive, demeaning, derogatory and hateful remarks by Razzaq and others against Pakistan women’s cricket team player Nida Dar,” stated Dawn.
Pakistan had come to the ICC World Cup with a reputation of ferocious fast bowling unit. But the Pakistani cricket team made a hasty retreat from the ICC World Cup without making impact either for bowling or batting.
Pakistani television channels are also roasting Razzak for his remark on Aishwarya Rai with anchors seen saying that such statements should never have been made against women. When confronted by anchors, Afridi claimed that he failed to understand the meaning of the joke and only got the meaning correct when he saw the video clip at home. However, he was seen having a hearty laugh alongside Razzak in the panel discussion.
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