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Aishwarya Rai, Umar Gul, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi (Source: Twitter)
The Pakistan cricket team has come under fire after its disastrous performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. Former cricketers and pundits have been lashing out at Babar Azam and Co. after their early exit from the tournament. Ex-Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq was also up in arms, but in a surprising turn of events, the 43-year-old is now at the receiving end of the backlash.
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Razzaq crossed all limits in a recent media interaction where he made a disgraceful remark concerning Indian actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. He was commenting on Pakistan's dismal World Cup campaign, but to justify his statement the former bowling all-rounder insulted one of India's most popular and influential celebrities.
The Pakistani media questioned the team's performance in the World Cup. Razzaq pointed out the lack of intentions and within the team its management. However, targeting the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the right-arm seamer made an uncouth remark about the actress that sparked outrage on the internet.
“Younis Khan had a good intention as a captain and it gave me confidence to perform better. Everyone over here is taking about the intention and Pakistan’s team. Actually, we don’t have good intention to develop and polish players in Pakistan. If you think that by marrying Aishwarya Rai, a good and pious kid would be wrong, it would never happen,” Razzaq said.
Former Pakistan cricketers Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul were also present during the discussion. Instead of condemning his teammate's remark, Afridi was seen laughing and clapping.
Watch the video below:
Shameful example given by Abdul Razzaq. #AbdulRazzaq #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/AOboOVHoQU
— Shaharyar Ejaz 🏏 (@SharyOfficial) November 13, 2023
The Men in Green failed to qualify for the semi-finals after finishing fifth on the points table. They started the campaign with two wins but then lost momentum and suffered back-to-back defeats, including against arch-rivals India and Afghanistan. Pakistan needed an unbelievable win in their final league match against England to qualify for the knockouts. However, they suffered a 93-run loss to the defending champions, ending their campaign on a negative note.