 "Vantage | How Team India's wins created a storm of conspiracy theories in Pakistan")
The whole country knows who the World Cup finalists are: India and Australia. The Men-in-Blue have been on a roll. They have won 10 matches on the bounce. If they win the final, it will be 11 victories in a row. Only Australia has done that before. And what does that mean? It means India has been playing some really good cricket.
Not if you ask Pakistani experts, though. They will tell you about conspiracies: How India is playing with a different ball, how the coin toss has been rigged, and how even the technology is pro-India. Now, you must be thinking that they must be some random, little-known Pakistani experts or pundits trying to grab eyeballs. Well, think again; they are people who have played for the Pakistani cricket team, former international cricketers!
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How about that? We’ve heard about manipulating the ball. We also know that technology is often unreliable. But toss manipulation deserves a special mention. How do you even rig a coin?
It is a conspiracy on steroids.
Former cricketer Wasim Akram has responded to all these claims, and he is on point. On the ball controversy, he said, “I want to have the same thing these guys are having. Sounds like fun because their mind is not there. If you want to get yourselves humiliated, do it, but don’t do the same to us in front of the entire world.”
Perfectly put! On the toss controversy, he said, “I feel embarrassed, I don’t even want to comment on it.”
You can’t blame him because this isn’t punditry; it’s a joke.
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View AllAnd if you think Pakistan’s cricket experts can’t go any lower, you are wrong. They can be sexist too, like Abdul Razzak. Razzak was speaking at a promotional event for the T20 World Cup.
“If you think that by marrying actress Aishwarya Rai, a good & virtuous child would be born, it would never happen “ ~ Pakistan cricket player Abdul Razzaq.
— Anshul Saxena (@AskAnshul) November 14, 2023
And, other Pakistan's players Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul were clapping on his statement. pic.twitter.com/i3YcatroVU
Razzak considers Indian actor Aishwariya Rai to be morally corrupt. Why? I’m assuming it’s because of her career choice. A self-made woman with a voice of her own. Of course, she has to be mocked! It reveals how narrow and patriarchal his thinking is. And not just him; even the players around him, like Shahid Afridi. He is seen having a good laugh with Abdul Razzak. Razzak has now apologised for his comment. He says it was a slip of the tongue. Now, I don’t know what’s more infuriating—his comments or his clarification.
Because let’s be clear here. This wasn’t a slip of the tongue. Razzak meant every word of what he said. And he’s not unique. Let’s talk about some Pakistani men in power, like Khwaja Asif, Pakistan’s former defence minister. He stood up in the country’s parliament in June this year and had a few words for the female leaders in opposition. Watch:
He says the women leaders are trash, garbage, left over by former PM Imran Khan. It tells you what the problem is. Here in South Asia, two groups of people are very influential: Politicians and cricketers. It’s the same in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. And with influence comes responsibility. But perhaps not for some. When you peddle conspiracies, you are influencing the next generation. You are telling them: It’s okay to do it. Same with sexist jokes. When you crack them, young people do the same. They think if Abdul Razzak can do it, why can’t I? After all, Razzak is a decorated cricketer. He’s a World Cup winner for Pakistan.
This attitude needs to change. It’s among the many things in Pakistan that must change, but like the rest of it, expectations are low.
Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.
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