Australian captain Pat Cummins slammed Indian journalist for misquoting Mohammad Rizwan’s statement on Gaza.
During the pre-match press conference ahead of the Pakistan and Australia World Cup match, a journalist raised questions about a post made by the Pakistani batter Mohammad Rizwan, in which he dedicated Pakistan’s victory over Sri Lanka to the oppressed Palestinians.
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
However, the journalist misquoted the post as ‘controversial’ and falsely alleged that Rizwan had dedicated the win to Hamas, a militant organization. The journalist also questioned whether such comments were appropriate within the realm of cricket, suggesting that it amounted to politicization.
In response to the journalist’s query, Pat Cummins provided a thoughtful and measured response. He acknowledged the importance of keeping politics separate from cricket but also emphasized the players’ right to express their solidarity with various causes, including the Palestinian situation.
He said that ““I think I only got half of that. But yeah I love seeing sports people, seeing their personalities brought out as well. So yeah, no hugely strong thoughts either way.”
Cummins was asked for his view on Pakistan players openly supporting Palestine Cummins 👇 pic.twitter.com/QhTdSiHqlI— Thakur (@hassam_sajjad) October 19, 2023
Following this incident, several Pakistan cricketers have shown their support for the Palestinian cause by sharing Palestine flags on their social media accounts. This demonstrates their solidarity with the oppressed Palestinians.
☮️ ☮️ ☮️ ☮️ pic.twitter.com/r8E31Jsfya— Shadab Khan (@76Shadabkhan) October 18, 2023
It is important to mention here that Pakistan has secured victories in two of their matches and one defeat against their arch-rivals, India.
Pakistan will face Australia in all-important World Cup match on October 20 (tomorrow) set to take place at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Pakistan squad
Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.