 "Pakistani batting great Mohammad Yousuf as well as the Salman Agha-led Men in Green have been in the headlines mainly for the wrong reasons amid the Asia Cup handshake row. Image: AFP/AP")
Indian cricket legend Madan Lal hit back at former Pakistan batter Mohammad Yousuf over the latter’s derogatory remarks aimed at Suryakumar Yadav amid the Indo-Pak handshake row in the ongoing Asia Cup.
Pakistani batting great Yousuf had deliberately mispronounced India T20I skipper Surya’s name on live television, referring to him as a ‘pig’ by calling him ‘Suarkumar’ in response to the Indian team’s refusal to shake the hands of the Pakistanis after their Asia Cup Group A match in Dubai.
The incident has since snowballed into a massive controversy with Yousuf facing a huge backlash from Indian fans as well as ex-cricketers, and even from some sections of the Pakistani cricket fraternity. Among those slamming the 51-year-old is 1983 World Cup-winner Lal.
“Look, you must have seen the former Pakistani cricketers, how much they criticise their team. You can see the frustration. They have started abusing the other team’s players. This shows how educated they are,” Lal told news agency Asian News International.
“Abusing anyone is not a good thing. I think we are unnecessarily giving them publicity. This is what they want: publicity. All the YouTubers talk about India and make their hits. This is their moral principle. The more bitter we speak about India, the more they will benefit,” he added.
‘They would have caused an irreparable damage’
Lal also slammed the Pakistan team for their off-field drama in the aftermath of their controversial Group A clash against India, which they ended up losing by seven wickets with more than four overs to spare after being restricted to a sub-par 127/9.
The Pakistan Cricket Board, after all, directed their ire towards match referee Andy Pycroft for allowing the Indians to go ahead with their no-handshake gesture instead of reprimanding them, and latter called for the former Zimbabwe batter to be removed for the remainder of the tournament.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsPakistan had even threatened to boycott their final group game against hosts United Arab Emirates if their demand for Pycroft’s removal was not met.
“Pakistan have surrendered because their demand was not genuine. First of all, why should we shake hands with them, it is not mentioned in any rulebook. Secondly, why should match referee Andy Pycroft be sacked,” Lal told India Today in response to the antics of the Pakistan team and their board.
“If you are not going to play, then who will suffer? You are going to suffer. If Pakistan would have boycotted the match against UAE, they would have caused an irreparable damage to their cricket,.
“Look at the condition of their country. They are suffering from everything now. They had such talented cricketers but look at their team for the last five-six years. The current team which is playing now has no class at all. The way they have batted, I have never seen any Pakistan team batting like that” he added.
The match against UAE eventually went ahead after an hour’s delay, but not before members of the Pakistan team management sat down for a meeting with Pycroft at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium’s PMOA area.
PCB officials later shared a muted video clip of the meeting with the general public with the claim that the Zimbabwean had “apologised” for his part in the handshake drama, which has since drawn the International Cricket Council’s ire .
Pakistan would go on to defeat UAE by 41 runs in the do-or-die contest to seal their place in the Super 4s, in which they face the Men in Blue on Sunday, 20 September in Dubai.