Shoaib Akhtar criticizes Ex-PAK vets after Abdul Razzaq’s controversial ‘Aishwarya Rai’ remark

Former teammate Abdul Razzaq, who made reference to Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in his criticism of the national cricket team's performance in the 2023 Cricket World Cup, came under heavy fire from legendary Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar. In a recent conversation, Razzaq brought up the team's shifting "neeyat," or purpose, using Aishwarya Rai Bacchan as an example. Social media users were quick to criticise the speech, and Shoaib Akhtar took issue not just with Razzaq's statements but also with the other participants who cheered rather than denouncing them. Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi, two former cricket players from Pakistan, were present at the function and were recorded applauding the derogatory statements.

3 things you need to know 

• Pakistan Cricket Team failed to qualify for the semifinals of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 
• Abdul Razzaq made a controversial statement on Bollywood actor Aishwarya Rai Bacchan 
• Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi were present on the event and enjoyed the derogated statement 

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Shoaib Akhtar slams Razzaq and other ex-PAK players 

Shoaib Akhtar voiced his serious condemnation of Abdul Razzaq's offensive joke and comparison involving Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on the social media platform X, which was formerly Twitter. Shoaib Akhtar underlined the importance of not demeaning any woman and bemoaned the fact that Razzaq's companions did not object to the offensive comments right away. The audience's cheers and laughter were criticised by Akhtar, who emphasised how critical it is to quickly address and correct such offensive remarks. Issuing his statement on X, he posted: 

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Abdul Razzaq issued apology 

A Pakistani journalist posted a video on the social media site X in which Abdul Razzaq apologised for his previous remarks. He said that he referred to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan incorrectly when talking about coaching and cricket during the press conference. Razzaq explained that it was a low opinionated comment and offered his heartfelt apologies for any offence that his words may have caused. He said: 

“Hi this is Abdul Razzaq and yesterday during the press conference we were talking about cricket and coaching and my tongue slipped and gave a wrong example taking Aishwarya Ji’s name and I really apologise. This was not my intention. I really apologise.”

As Pakistan is knocked out of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, their arch-rivals Team India will be looking forward to reaching the final of the ICC ODI World Cup as they will take on New Zealand on Wednesday in the semifinals.