World Cup 2019: 5 controversies related to Pakistan team

The fans of Pakistan were utterly devastated after the humiliating loss against India in the group stage. In such a situation, the last thing they would have wanted would be the lack of unity among players. Unfortunately, there have been reports suggesting groupism in Pakistan’s team with the team being divided into two factions led by Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim and the captain Sarfaraz Ahmed being sidelined.

Samaa TV, a local news channel reported that Sarfaraz Ahmed reportedly lost his cool after the match against India and blamed Imad Wasim and Imam-ul-Haq of forming a group against him. Another news channel, Dunya News reported that Sarfaraz wanted to include Mohammad Hasnain and Asif Ali in the Playing XI against India, but his appeal was turned down.

The reports of groupism in the team have not been confirmed yet. However, players did admit that Sarfaraz lost his cool in the dressing room but asserted that it was only because of frustration against the loss.

2. Both Afghanistan and Pakistan fans brawl

One of the most interesting matches of this world cup was marred by the clashes between the faithful fans of both the teams. In Pakistan’s must-win clash against Afghanistan, an unauthorised aeroplane was seen flying over the stadium towing the message “Justice for Balochistan”.

The message was in relation to the Balochistan area, where people have been engaged in a battle against the Pakistan Government for independence with the help of Afghanistan. This incident triggered an ugly spat between fans of both countries. People were seen throwing bottles of water and vandalizing the hoardings at the stadium. The confrontation was controlled by some other fans intervening and separating the ones who were fighting.

3. Body shaming on Sarfaraz Ahmed

Sarfaraz Ahmed found himself in a rather difficult situation after the 89 run loss to India. In one of the most bizarre incidents of this world cup, a fan fat-shamed Sarfaraz (whilst also making a video) while he was in a mall with his family. The man asked Sarfaraz for a selfie, to which he obliged. However, the man started hurling abuses at him, body-shaming him and calling him “fat like a pig”.

However, the Captain of the Men in Green received applause from various fans all over the world as he dealt with the situation maturely and left the area without retaliating or saying anything to the abusive fan.

4. Alleged night-out before the India match

After Pakistan’s loss against India in the league fixture, many pictures and videos started surfacing on the Internet showing Shoaib Malik, his wife Sania Mirza and a bunch of other Pakistani Cricketers visiting a cafe. It was alleged that they visited the cafe on the night prior to their match against India. It was also alleged that the players stayed out late at the cafe till 2:00 a.m. in the morning.

The pictures sparked outrage among fans with them questioning the players’ fitness and their commitment to the game. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) later on clarified that the pictures and video were from the night of June 14, two days prior to the match. They also clarified that no player had violated curfew and everyone had returned to their rooms on time before the match against India.

5. Advertisement mocking Abhinandan

In response to India’s Mauka-Mauka advertisement publicising their match against Pakistan whilst also mocking their no-win record against India in World Cups, a Pakistan TV channel shared an advertisement which seemingly mocked the capture of Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. The ad showed a man dressed up as Abhinandan (also sporting his moustache) and mimicking him and his statements while he was in Pakistani Custody.

The advertisement mocked at him giving answers like “I’m sorry, I’m not supposed to tell you this”. The ending of the advertisement showed him sipping a cup of tea and when he gets up with the cup still in his hands, the interrogator takes the cup and asks him where was he trying to take the cup.(where the cup referred to the World Cup) The advertisement received a lot of hate and opposition from across the border and remained a big source of controversy for a few days.

~Written by Sanjam Singh Arora