Sarfaraz Ahmed apologises to Shoaib Akhtar as an extension to their verbal spat

A lot is being said and discussed about the racism controversy surrounding Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed. The one in which he made racist remarks to South Africa all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo during the ODI series against the Proteas. It was caught in the stump microphone and as a result, drew attention from the whole of the cricketing community. The International Cricket Council (ICC) said Sarfraz breached its anti-racism code and handed him a four-match ban.

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar joined in the criticism that is coming Sarfaraz’s way, saying that the skipper was lucky that he only received a four-match ban for his racist comment which was an unacceptable act. He had also demanded that the cricketer should publicly apologise for the same.

However, Sarfaraz reverted to him saying: “He [Shoaib Akhtar] is not criticizing, he is attacking me personally.” Defending himself, Akhtar insisted that he was talking in the best interest of the game and had no intentions of any personal attack.

Following this, Ahmed has once again issued an apology to Akhtar, saying that he hopes the Rawalpindi Express will keep supporting Pakistan cricket. “I have nothing against @shoaib100mph, if he is hurt due to my reactionary comments then I say sorry to him. I hope he will continue to support team Pakistan, says @SarfarazA_54,” journalist Faizan Lakhani quoted on Twitter.

I have nothing against @shoaib100mph, if he is hurt due to my reactionary comments then I say sorry to him. I hope he will continue to support team Pakistan, says @SarfarazA_54

— Faizan Lakhani (@faizanlakhani) February 3, 2019

Earlier, the 31-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman had also issued a public apology for his comments, which he accepted as wrong and hurtful.

“I accepted my mistake and received the punishment. I want to thank the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for handling this case and fulfilling requirements. I will improve myself and my performance in the future and I thank my supporters for their backing,” he had said.

Sarfaraz was eligible to play the third and final T20I between Pakistan and South Africa but it seems that the team management decided to give him a rest ahead of the start of the PSL 2019 later this month.

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