Pakistan played Sri Lanka on 10 October in the ongoing World Cup 2023 which ended in Pakistan’s victory. Now, Muhammad Rizwan who managed to score a century in the match has dedicated his country’s win to “brothers and sisters in Gaza.” He also thanked the Indian audience and added, “Extremely grateful to the people of Hyderabad for the amazing hospitality and support throughout.”
This was for our brothers and sisters in Gaza. 🤲🏼
— Muhammad Rizwan (@iMRizwanPak) October 11, 2023
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.
However, the cricketer received a lot of flak for interjecting politics into the game. The Skin Doctor questioned how his runs or Pakistan’s triumph would help the residents of Gaza. He advised the player and his team to donate all of their earnings, including match fees, prizes and endorsements in order to make an actual contribution to the Palestinian cause.
How will a century or a win help them in Gaza? Instead, you and entire Pak team should donate all kinds of earnings, whether it's match fees, awards, endorsements, etc., from the World Cup to Palestinians. That would be genuine assistance. Otherwise this tweet is just hogwash.
— THE SKIN DOCTOR (@theskindoctor13) October 11, 2023
“He should go to fight against Israel. What on earth is he doing here playing cricket,” commented a social media user.
Isko to jaake Israel ke against ladna chahiye yaha cricket khel Raha ye
— crazyy soul (@crazyyy__soul) October 11, 2023
Another user brought up the barbarity of Hamas terrorists whom he called the batsman’s brothers and wrote that even ten more centuries won’t match up to the crimes committed by the former. He also attached two images highlighting the brutality of the Hamas terrorists, particularly on the elderly, women and children.
Score 10 more centuries at least.. even that won't do full justice to such 👇🏽 achievements by your palestinian hamas terrorist brothers.. pic.twitter.com/uwKTnaxKzN
— Keh Ke Peheno (@coolfunnytshirt) October 11, 2023
A user referred to the poor economic condition of the people of Pakistan and mentioned that they can only offer verbal support and can not “even donate match fees and winning cash.”
Pakistani’s can do this only, cant even donate match fees and winning cash.
— rae (@ChillamChilli) October 11, 2023
Khud ki halat bhikari jaise ho rakhi hai
A netizen demanded the immediate return of the Pakistan Cricket Team to Pakistan and asked the International Cricket Council to prevent the international event from turning into a “tool for supporting Hamas 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
A user called him out for his silence at the heinous murder of thousands of Israelis and added, “Shame on you for this tweet.”
You didn’t utter a single word when Israel was attacked and so many lost their lives?? Shame on you for this tweet.
— Rainbow Salt (@Rainbowsalts91) October 11, 2023
Why ICC, BCCI, and the GoI need to take stern action over Muhammad Rizwan’s post glorifying Hamas terrorists
Rizwan’s tweet appeared to be in violation of the code of conduct drawn up by the ICC, which has strict rules for cricketers indulging in making political and religious statements. In fact, in World Cup 2019, the ICC had objected to something as benign as wearing wicket-keeping gloves with Indian Army insignia and had asked former Indian wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to remove them.
“The ICC has responded to the BCCI to confirm the logo displayed by MS Dhoni in the previous match is not permitted to be worn on his wicket-keeping gloves at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019,” the ICC statement issued in 2019 read.
In 2014, the ICC banned English cricketer Moeen Ali from wearing “Save Gaza” and “Free Palestine” wristbands while playing for England. “The ICC equipment and clothing regulations do not permit the display of messages that relate to political, religious or racial activities or causes during an international match. Moeen Ali was told by the match referee that while he is free to express his views on such causes away from the cricket field, he is not permitted to wear the wristbands on the field of play and warned not to wear the bands again during an international match,” the statement issued by the apex cricketing body said.
By the same token, the ICC should also issue a statement expressing its disapproval of Rizwan’s statement supporting Hamas and ask the Pakistan Cricket Board to get its player to recant his tweet that seeks to glorify the egregious terror attacks carried out by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians, including elderly, women, and children, many of whom were found dead with their heads chopped off.
The BCCI should also take note of Rizwan’s comment and ensure that foreign cricketers who have come to India for the 2023 World Cup don’t end up exploiting the cricketing platform to peddle individual agendas and express sympathy for terrorists who killed hundreds of civilians in Israel. The Indian government should also step in and convey to the Pakistan Cricket Board that their cricketers must refrain from politicising the sport while being in India for an ICC event. Rizwan should be made to apologise for politicising the World Cup and asked to pull down his post.
Above everything else, Rizwan’s tweet expressing solidarity with the Hamas terrorists exposes the banal tropes that former Pakistani cricketers and Pakistani journalists resort to while arguing for restoring a bilateral cricketing relationship with India. They keep harping about keeping politics and cricket apart, but the latest post by Rizwan betrays their underlying sentiments: Ummah above everything else. From former Pakistan captain Imran Khan, who had said a cricket match against India to him was jihad, similarly, decades later, for the current crop of Pakistani cricketers too, cricket only seems to be a platform to perpetuate their religious supremacism and “common brotherhood”, which apparently entails sympathising with terrorists.
Past antecedents of Pakistani cricketer Muhammad Rizwan
Notably, Muhammad Rizwan is infamous for fusing politics, religion and sports much like several of his countrymen. He recently caught the attention of many when he started offering Namaz on the cricket field during the second half of the match against the Netherlands while his teammates awaited drinks during the break. He received condemnation for doing the same just in front of Indians.
#WATCH : Mohammad Rizwan intentionally does this when there are Indians watching him. During T20 World Cup 2021, India vs Pakistan match he has offers ‘Namaz’ in ground during drink break. #MohammadRizwan #Pakistan #PAKvNED #namaz #INDVSPAK #icccricketworldcup2023 #ICCWorldCup pic.twitter.com/a0NAz4JvkZ
— Ravi Pandey🇮🇳 (@ravipandey2643) October 6, 2023
Netizens accused the wicket-keeper batsman of bringing religion into cricket, unlike Indian players who never behave in such a manner.
Interestingly, when Babar Azam-led side defeated India by 10 wickets in the ICC T20 World Cup ‘Super 12’ game on 24 October 2021, former Pakistan pace bowler Waqar Younis expressed his glee and voiced, “What I liked most is what Rizwan did. He stood in the middle of the ground and read the prayers in front of the Hindus,” after the 31-year-old Muhammad Rizwan had used the cricket match as an opportunity to flaunt his faith in front of millions of viewers.
"Rizwan offered Namaz during #INDvPAK match in middle of Hindus was most satisfying thing Mashallah, even more than his batting"
— Pakistan Untold (@pakistan_untold) October 26, 2021
– Waqar Younis & Shoaib Akhtar discusspic.twitter.com/ELTVJSTqh4
He was slammed by Indian cricketers and commentators who called out his Jihadi mindset and he was forced to apologise with folded hands. He blamed his bigoted opinion on the “heat of the moment” and claimed that it was a “genuine mistake.” He alleged he did not want to hurt the sentiments of anyone and apologised when the controversy escalated.
In the heat of the moment, I said something which I did not mean which has hurt the sentiments of many. I apologise for this, this was not intended at all, genuine mistake. Sports unites people regardless of race, colour or religion. #apologies 🙏🏻
— Waqar Younis (@waqyounis99) October 26, 2021
ICC World Cup and fangs of Islamism
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Cricket World Cup 2023 has not been without its share of contentions. Former Australian batsman Matthew Hayden and Pakistan’s Ramiz Raja took advantage of the platform provided by the occasion and advocated for Islam while providing commentary for a practice match between Australia and Pakistan on 3 October. The two exploited the game as an instrument to spread their own religious views while consciously ignoring the unifying power of sports which irked many social media users.
When the ex-chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board questioned Matthew Hayden about his experiences as a former coach of the Pakistani team, he responded that the Islamic way of life instils discipline which he greatly admires and that Pakistani cricket is also very focused on Islam and that it is the main component of their players. The two were lambasted by the public for promoting Islam at a major sporting event who found their discourse offensive.
On 9 October, Zainab Abbas Pakistani cricket presenter had to leave India after her anti-Hindu tweets went viral on social media. The netizens asked for her deportation and Supreme Court lawyer Vineet Jindal also filed a cyber complaint against her which eventually resulted in the termination of her contract and she had to exit the country.
During the World Cup match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka on 10 October repeated slogans of “Jeetega bhai Jeetega, Pakistan Jeetega” (Pakistan will win) filled the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad and proved the former Pakistani cricketer Mushtaq Ahmed correct who predicted that his country’s team is going to receive humongous support in Hyderabad and Ahmedabad due to their large Muslim population.
Cricket which is supposed to be a gentlemen’s game has become a tool of anti-India propaganda in our neighbouring country Pakistan. Whether it is Shahid Afridi or Shoaib Akhtar who repeatedly attacked India over Kashmir or former Prime Minister and ex-Pakistani cricketer Imran Khan who called a cricket match between the two nations ‘a way of Jihad’ against India, the hate against the country and Hindus in particular from Pakistan cricketers has been ever-present and palpable.
