Very few Pakistani cricketers have left behind a legacy like the “toe-crusher” Waqar Younis. An absolute ambassador of the game, his post-retirement career has been nothing short of eventful. Back in 2021, his comments on Pakistan wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan offering Namaz in the middle of a cricket ground had caught some eyeballs for the wrong reasons.
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Now, a couple of years later, speaking to ESPN Australia, Younis took a staunch stance of keeping politics out of sports in the context of whatever is happening with Australia batter Usman Khawaja.
Khawaja, who wore a black armband during the first Test against Pakistan in Perth earlier this month, faced consequential heat from the ICC (International Cricket Council). Khawaja also had “All Lives are Equal” and “Freedom is a Human Right” written on his spikes before the match, which when questioned, he agreed to remove.
Speaking on the matter, ESPN Australia host Neroli Meadows asked a panel comprising Younis, former Australia captain Michael Clarke and former batter Callum Ferguson. While the trio sided with Khawaja, Younis did reserve a few words for adhering to the rules.
“But the only thing is that you want to keep, you know, sport, any sport, away from the politics. That’s the key, that’s very, very important because if you start using this platform as to bring the political matters on, I think that, you know, really not go well with me,” Younis said.
Younis continued that he is fine with Khawaja wearing an armband, but believes he could do it on his social media handles. Amidst the out pour of love and support for Khawaja, it is noteworthy to see Younis taking such a neutral stance.
Over the years, several notable personalities have talked about keeping politics out of sports. Be it Rashid Khan, when Australia canceled their tour of the UAE for Afghanistan not giving equal freedom rights to women, or Harsha Bhogle urging fans about keeping the India-Pakistan rivalry within the sports arena time and again.
Waqar Younis Faced Immense Flak For Supporting Mohammad Rizwan’s ‘Namaz’ Offering
It was a blink-and-miss moment on Pakistan’s ARY News channel when Younis made his comments on Rizwan. Right after Pakistan thumped India by 10 wickets in a high-voltage ICC T20 World Cup 2021 clash, Younis made a distasteful comment around religion in reference to Rizwan offering Namaz at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
“Jo Rizwan ne ki, phir usne Mashallah, usne ground mein khade hoke Namaz padhi, jo ke Hinduon ke beech me khade hoke, so that was really something very, very special for me [What Rizwan did, by offering Namaz in the middle of the ground, standing amid Hindus, that was very, very special for me],” Younis had told ARY News.
The uproar it caused in the cricket fraternity, especially among Indians like former batter Wasim Jaffer and legendary broadcaster Bhogle, was tremendous.
While the former Pakistani captain didn’t specifically insult any other religion, or hailed one above another, the very fact that he brought it up in a sports context was unacceptable. India and Pakistan have had a long and bitter history of rivalry, both on and off the field, and nothing would’ve been wiser than to stick strictly to the match. However, Younis did apologize later on, admitting he had said it in the heat of the moment.
