When any cricketer tries to give his views on politics or any social issue, they often get mixed reactions from fans. The same was the case when Mohammed Rizwan decided to take a stand for Gaza. The prolific batter dedicated his remarkable century scored during the SL vs PAK clash to Gaza after Pakistan’s historic win against Sri Lanka in the ODI World Cup 2023. This unexpected move has sparked debates & resulted in backlash, especially from Indian Cricket fans who compared the incident with former Indian Captain MS Dhoni. A fan even questioned the impact of such statements on the Gaza residents & urged Rizwan & his team to contribute to helping the Palestinian cause in a more meaningful way.
Fans Criticizing Mohammed Rizwan’s Gaza Tweet
Mohammed Rizwan’s Gaza tweet wasn’t liked by fans who questioned him by saying that is it appropriate for a sportsman to express political views on a social media platform like Twitter. Many compared Rizwan’s take with Dhoni’s 2019 incident which sparked controversy. Back in 2019, Dhoni was asked to remove his gloves which had army insignia written on them while doing wicket-keeping during the World Cup. Indian fans ask that Mohammed Rizwan’s case should be treated the same. However, there are crucial differences in both incidents as MS Dhoni’s comment was made off-field on his personal social media presence whereas Dhoni’s issue involved equipment used during the fixture.
Pakistan pulled off a chase in Style during IND vs AFG Clash
Coming to the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka clash, Pakistan pulled off a history win by chasing a mammoth 344-run target. Batting first, Sri Lanka got the better of Pakistan bowlers with Kusal Mendia & Samarawickrama scoring their respective tons. It was on the back of their century that Sri Lanka registered 344 runs total on board. Then came Pakistan on crease who chased the huge target to set a milestone for other teams to achieve in ODI World Cup 2023. In the chase, they lost early wickets with Pakistan openers Imam-Ul-Haq and Babar Azam going back to the pavilion in powerplay overs. But then happened the unexpected when Abdullah Shafique & Mohammad Rizwan did the unexpected by scoring individual centuries & taking control over Sri Lanka in the middle overs. Sri Lankan bowlers had no answer to their assault & finally, Pakistan registered the highest chase in ODI history. Mohammed Rizwan also achieved the record of highest individual score by a wicketkeeper batter for Pakistan in ODI World Cup history.
Also read, Top Records Rolled in PAK vs SL ODI World Cup 2023 Clash
