Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Muhammad Rizwan He found himself embroiled in controversy and online trolling after dedicating Pakistan’s record win over Sri Lanka in Hyderabad to “brothers and sisters in Gaza”, a territory controlled by Hamas, which has carried out recent attacks on Israel.
Rizwan was taken along during Pakistan’s successful chase of a target of 345 runs Abdullah Shafiq, who scored a century, was instrumental in securing their second win at the 2023 World Cup.
Rizwan dedicates his World Cup century to the ‘brothers and sisters of Gaza’
In his tweet a day after Pakistan’s victory, Rizwan revealed, “This was for our brothers and sisters in Gaza. Happy to contribute to the win. Credit to the entire team and especially Abdullah Shafiq and Hasan Ali for making it easy. Very grateful to the people of Hyderabad for the amazing hospitality and support.”
It was for our brothers and sisters in Gaza. 🤲🏼
Happy to contribute to the win. Credit to the entire team and especially Abdullah Shafiq and Hasan Ali for making it easy.
Very grateful to the people of Hyderabad for the amazing hospitality and support.
— Muhammad Rizwan (@iMRizwanPak) October 11, 2023
Netizens mocked Rizwan
Rizwan’s gesture of solidarity with Gaza drew angry reactions from fans, with some interpreting it as support for Hamas.
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Many expressed their displeasure on social media. One user called for the Pakistan cricket team to be sent back to Pakistan, saying the ICC should not allow the Cricket World Cup to be used as a tool to support terrorists.
Pakistan cricket team should be sent back to Pakistan as soon as possible.@ICC The Cricket World Cup should not be allowed to become a tool of support for 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 (Muslim community) and Islamic brotherhood. They also drew comparisons with Indian cricketers, indicating that they did not make similar statements on political or religious issues.
He literally stands for terrorists for the worldwide Ummah and Izl@mic brotherhood.
Now compare this with Indian ‘Hindu’ cricketers who have never uttered a single word in support of CAA or against the perpetual systematic ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
— Rudras 🚩 (@rudrastics) October 11, 2023
While some individuals called for the Pakistani team to be exiled, others took a more humorous approach. One user jokingly suggested that Rizwan should visit Gaza and hand over his victories in person, while another went further and suggested that he “donate your atta (flour)” to Gazans.
Visit and hand over your winnings in person
— Punita Toraskar (@impuni) October 11, 2023
India’s prominent news anchor Dr. in the controversy Vikrant Gupta Markey questioned the ICC’s stance on cricketers making political and religious statements during events, referring to the incident MS Dhoni Asked to remove an army insignia from his gloves during the 2019 World Cup.
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The anchor questioned whether cricketers are prohibited from making such statements during ICC events.
Is it allowed? @ICC ? I remember Dhoni was asked to remove the army insignia from his gloves during the 2019 World Cup.
Aren’t cricketers banned from making political and religious statements during ICC events? https://t.co/3k5uKf4mXH— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) October 11, 2023