'It is not funny anymore' - Shoaib Akhtar expresses disappointment on the 'Mauka Mauka' ad campaign

The former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has expressed his disappointment with the “Mauka Mauka” advertisement campaign. According to him, it cannot be considered as funny anymore as it hurts the sentiments of the nation. The speedster also hoped that India and Pakistan faces each other in the summit clash of the T20 World Cup 2021.

The “Mauka Mauka” campaign had started prior to the India-Pakistan match in the ODI World Cup 2015. This campaign has been fetching a lot of attention over the years and has contributed to adding to the excitement of the contest between the arch-rivals. Pakistan however broke India’s 12 match winning streak against them in World Cups by registering a thumping victory against the Men in Blue in their opening fixture.

Akhtar asserted that the country is praying for India to qualify so that Pakistan can beat them in the finals of the mega event.

“And for India, we are waiting for you in the finals. Because we want to beat you in the finals and that is why we are praying for you to qualify for the finals. We want to give India another ‘Mauka’ in the finals.”

“The reason why I used the word “mauka” is that it is not funny anymore. It’s alright to make advertisements and get entertained but you are hitting a nation, which is a very proud nation (Pakistan). It’s not funny anymore because it’s hurting the nation, which is very proud,” said Akhtar on his YouTube channel.

Please don’t raise this issue against Afghanistan: Shoaib Akhtar

After facing back-to-back defeats in the marquee event, India finally secured victory against Afghanistan. However, several on-lookers took it to their Twitter and claimed that the match was fixed. A few noteworthy people had also expressed their opinions on the same. Akhtar thus appealed to the people to refrain from blaming Afghanistan.

“But again, please don’t raise this issue against Afghanistan. Everyone knows the situation their country is in currently. They can be in a lot of trouble and danger. Please refrain from blaming Afghanistan. They tried their best. Afghanistan’s cricket team is not one of the world’s strongest and they were up against the best teams in the world when it comes to T20 cricket in India,” Akhtar added.