Goemkarponn desk
AHMEDABAD: In the midst of the excitement and fervour surrounding the ODI World Cup 2023, a new controversy has emerged, this time involving Pakistan’s star opener Mohammad Rizwan. While Rizwan has so far had a decent outing with the bat in the ongoing world event, a recent incident has drawn attention to him for entirely different reasons.
Not too long ago, Rizwan dedicated his century to the ‘brothers and sisters in Gaza’, a gesture that was met with both praise and criticism due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. Now, he finds himself at the center of another debate, as he was captured offering prayers on the cricket field during a match.
Mohammad Rizwan offers Namaz on the cricket field
The incident in question occurred during Pakistan’s match against the Netherlands in Hyderabad, where Rizwan displayed his impeccable cricketing prowess by scoring a well-composed 68 runs. However, it is not his inning that is the talk of the town but the ‘namaz’ he offered on the field during the play. The video of this moment quickly went viral on the internet, sparking a range of reactions.
A Supreme Court of India lawyer files complaint against Mohammad Rizwan
Adding fuel to the fire, a complaint against Rizwan has been formally filed by Vineet Jindal, a lawyer from the Supreme Court of India, with both the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). In his complaint, Jindal argues that Rizwan’s act of
offering prayers during the match “raises questions about the spirit of the game.”
Notably, this is the same lawyer who previously filed a complaint against Pakistan sports presenter Zainab Abbas over what he deemed “anti-Hindu” tweets, a controversy that eventually led to her abrupt departure from the ODI World Cup 2023 tournament in India.
As far as Rizwan’s performance in the ongoing World Cup, it’s important to recognize that he is currently the leading run-scorer in the tournament. His consistent and impressive form has been instrumental in Pakistan’s campaign so far. However, his efforts were not enough to secure a win against arch-rivals India in their previous encounter, marking Pakistan’s first defeat in three matches during the tournament.
