A recent comment by Waqar Younis, one of Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker in both ODIs and Tests after Pakistan’s win over India t20 world cup The match in Dubai has taken the cricket world by storm. While the resulting outrage has forced Younes to apologize, the damage has already been done. Yunus’s remark that the best thing about him was to see Mohammad Rizwan praying in front of Hindus during the match against India was a strong protest against Islamic fundamentalism. Pakistani politicians and media regularly make such derogatory remarks, but coming from a player of Younis’ stature, this is the most disappointing. This not only shows their communal mindset but also highlights the lack of sportsmanship as well as lack of decency in winning which is most harmful to the game.
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Now, those who have followed Younis’ career won’t be too surprised by the absence of sportsmanship. During the historic 1999 Kotla Test, Younis suggested Pakistan captain Wasim Akram to be dismissed “some other way” during a mid-pitch conversation to prevent Indian leg-player Anil Kumble from taking his 10th wicket of the innings. Can go “No. It would be against player sentiment,” replied Akram. In July 2000, Waqar became the first bowler to be banned from playing in an international match for ball tampering. During the 2003 World Cup match against Australia, Andrew Waqar was dropped from the attack after bowling a beamer on Symonds, becoming the first bowler to be dismissed in this way during an international match.
Furthermore, it is well documented how his infamous rivalry with Wasim Akram influenced Pakistan cricket in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Even his coaching stints for Pakistan have been full of controversies. And despite being a highly skilled swing bowler himself, he failed to produce any world-class bowlers for Pakistan, mostly because of his internal insecurities, jealousy and pride.
Read also: Indian cricket fraternity reprimands Waqar for ‘namaz in front of Hindus’
Younis’ recent remarks make it clear that even after all these years, he has not learned anything about sportsmanship. Married to a Pakistani-Australian doctor, Younis has been living in Australia since 2005. Ever the opportunist, he readily plays the Australian card when it suits his interests, but otherwise, he is a “proud Pakistani”. Despite his repeated attempts to join coaching in Australia, he failed to create any major opportunities for himself. In 2012, his application for the position of Australia’s bowling coach was turned down by Cricket Australia after he failed to make an impression during an official interview for the job.
Set to turn 50 in November this year, Younis clearly has limited options outside Pakistan. So there is a strong possibility that his communal remarks were aimed at appeasing his political masters in Pakistan. It really wouldn’t be a surprise if it is none other than their former captain Imran Khan and their communal rule that he is trying his best to appease through his anti-Hindu comments.
While on one hand there is the case of Waqar Yunus, on the other side there have been reports of some Kashmiri students celebrating Pakistan’s victory over India. Shockingly, this is not the first time such incidents have happened. Similar incidents were also recorded during Pakistan’s victory over India in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017. Though such incidents have been small in nature, they cannot be easily ignored.
Read also: Waqar Younis apologizes for his controversial remarks
What if these are not just random events but as part of a targeted attack by anti-India forces to weaken India and divide the outside world? It is therefore paramount for intelligence agencies to investigate these incidents in depth. At the same time, the national media should avoid giving unnecessary attention to such incidents. Because, whenever such incidents come under media headlines, it is bound to appease the enemies of India at large. At the same time, it is equally important to remind these anti-India forces and the international media about the Kashmiri youth who are guarding the borders day by day to prevent any enemy attack.
In today’s age of social media, it is all too easy to divert attention and mislead people. The recently created outrage case by trolls from Pakistan is the subject of a great study. After India’s loss against Pakistan in a T20 match, Mohammed Shami was reportedly subjected to online abuse. Now Pakistan completed the victory on Shami’s ball in the 18th over of their innings. After the match, when some trollers started posting lewd messages on Shami’s Instagram feed, many former Indian cricketers came out in his support.
While it is heartening to see how everyone came out in support of Shami, it was later seen that the trolling actually originated from social media users in Pakistan, who may be Pakistani Army, ISI, Al-Qaeda, or even That could have been fake accounts run by Pakistan. Taliban. Be it the communal remarks made by Younis or the case of Kashmiri students or the outrage fabricated against Shami, the existence of a common thread cannot be ignored. This is the reason why we need to be more cautious these days.
The author is an Indian critic and journalist covering arts and culture for over 10 years. Views expressed are personal.
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