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Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batter Muhammad Rizwan has found himself embroiled in controversy and faced online trolling after dedicating Pakistan’s record win against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad to the “brothers and sisters in Gaza,” a region controlled by Hamas, which carried out a recent attack in Israel.
During Pakistan’s successful chase of a 345-run target, Rizwan, along with Abdullah Shafique, who made a century, played a crucial role in securing their second win in the World Cup 2023.
Rizwan dedicates his World Cup hundred to ‘brothers, sisters in Gaza’
In his tweet a day after Pakistan’s win, Rizwan expressed, “This was for our brothers and sisters in Gaza. Happy to contribute to the win. Credits to the whole team and especially Abdullah Shafique and Hassan Ali for making it easier. Extremely grateful to the people of Hyderabad for the amazing hospitality and support throughout.”
This was for our brothers and sisters in Gaza. 🤲🏼
Happy to contribute in the win. Credits to the whole team and especially Abdullah Shafique and Hassan Ali for making it easier.
Extremely grateful to the people of Hyderabad for the amazing hospitality and support throughout.
— Muhammad Rizwan (@iMRizwanPak) October 11, 2023
Netizens lashed out at Rizwan
Rizwan’s gesture of solidarity with Gaza garnered angry reactions from fans, with some even interpreting it as support for Hamas.
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Many took to social media to express their strong disapproval. One user called for the Pakistan Cricket Team to be sent back to Pakistan, suggesting that the ICC should not allow the Cricket World Cup to be used as a tool for supporting terrorists.
Pakistan Cricket Team should be sent back to Pakistan asap.@ICC should not allow Cricket World Cup to become a tool for supporting Hamas Terrorists.
— Incognito (@Incognito_qfs) October 11, 2023
Another social media user accused Rizwan of standing up for terrorists in the name of global ummah (the community of Muslims) and Islamic brotherhood. They also drew comparisons with Indian cricketers, implying that they had not made similar statements regarding political or religious issues.
He is literally standing up for terrorists for global ummah & Izl@mic brotherhood.
Now compare this to Indian ‘Hindu' cricketers who never uttered a single word in support of CAA or against the perpetual systematic ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
— Rudra 🚩 (@rudrastics) October 11, 2023
While some individuals called for the Pakistani team to be deported, others opted for a more humorous approach. One user humorously suggested that Rizwan should visit Gaza and personally hand over his winnings, while another went further, suggesting he should “donate your aata (flour)” to the Gazans.
Visit and personally hand over your winnings
— Punita Toraskar (@impuni) October 11, 2023
Amid the controversy, a prominent Indian news anchor Vikrant Gupta questioned the ICC’s stance on cricketers making political and religious statements during marquee events, citing the incident when MS Dhoni was asked to remove an Army insignia from his gloves during the 2019 World Cup.
Also READ: CWC 2023 – Twitter goes berserk a Rohit Sharma smashes fastest century for India in ODI World Cup history
The anchor questioned whether cricketers are prohibited from making such statements during ICC events.
Is this allowed @ICC ? I remember Dhoni was asked to remove the Army insignia from his gloves during the World Cup 2019
Aren’t cricketers prohibited from making political and religious statements during ICC events? https://t.co/3k5uKf4mXH— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) October 11, 2023
