Top 5 controversial statements made by Abdul Razzaq

Abdul Razzaq is a former Pakistani all-rounder who has been away from the cricket field since 2018. However, the 40-year-old from Lahore has grabbed the cricket universe’s attention by making some massive statements.

These statements are very controversial and the fans believe that Razzaq is doing it on purpose just to gain the spotlight. Since India and Pakistan have been arch-rivals in the world of cricket, Razzaq’s testimonies often related to the Men in Blue.

In this article, we will have a look at the top 5 controversial statements made by Abdul Razzaq so far:

1. “Virat Kohli is a lucky player”

Firing a shot at the success of the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli, Razzaq said that Kohli is a lucky player because he has the back of India’s cricket governing body, BCCI. As per Razzaq, Pakistan could have produced players better than Kohli had they got the support from Pakistan Cricket Board.

He told PakPassion.net that, “Virat Kohli is a fantastic player and there is no doubt about it. However, he is lucky as the BCCI supports him well and instils the confidence in him that any player needs to succeed.”

He further added that the respect that he gets from the board inspires him to perform better and there are a plethora of players in Pakistan who have the potential to make it bigger than Virat Kohli yet they are not receiving proper support from the board. Every cricket fan knows that Kohli himself has worked hard on his fitness hence, it made little sense to involve BCCI here.

2. “Best XI of PSL will beat best XI of IPL”

The Indian Premier League is the only T20 league on the planet where the active Indian cricketers play. Also, it is the only tournament where the players from Pakistan are not allowed to participate. Hence, there are always comparisons between Indian Premier League and Pakistan Super League.

The ardent cricket fans know the real difference between the fan following, prize money, talent and competition levels of the two teams. IPL is better than PSL in all the departments. Yet, Abdul Razzaq believes that the best PSL XI would defeat best IPL XI if the two sides battle each other.

“If a team of the best players from the Indian Premier League faced a team made-up of the best players from the Pakistan Super League, the PSL team would win,” Abdul Razzaq was quoted as saying by Pakistani journalist Saj Sadiq in his tweet.

There are a lot of world-class players who ignore playing in the PSL and, the same players play regularly in the IPL. So, that itself answers the question.

3. “Jasprit Bumrah is a baby bowler for me”

It is no secret that Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is the best fast bowler on the planet right now. He has a very unique action and his variations make him one of the most dangerous bowlers. Bumrah has mastered the art of bowling the yorkers.

Before talking about Abdul Razzaq’s comments on him, let us have a look at Bumrah’s numbers in limited-overs cricket. The right-arm quick has taken 54 wickets in 45 T20Is at an economy rate of 6.72 while in 61 ODIs, he has scalped 104 wickets while giving away runs at an economy rate of 4.5.

These numbers showcase Jasprit’s dominance in world cricket but here’s what Razzaq had to say about him:

“I have played world-class bowlers all across the world. I have no issues in facing Jasprit Bumrah. The pressure will be on him if I am in front of him. Because when you have faced bowlers like Glenn McGrath, Wasim Akram or Shoaib Akhtar, you gain confidence. Bumrah is a baby bowler for me. I can easily dominate him. Even he knows that this player has faced all these great bowlers in his time.”

4.“Virat Kohli not in the same category as Sachin Tendulkar”

If undermining Jasprit Bumrah’s talent was not enough, Abdul Razzaq once tried to question the mastery of Virat Kohli in the batting department by saying that he does not belong to the same category as Sachin Tendulkar. Kohli has broken a lot of records held by Tendulkar in the past and he is on the verge of breaking a few more of the remaining records.

The 31-year-old batsman is the No.1 batsman in the world with over 21,000 international runs to his name. He has scored nearly 12,000 runs in ODI cricket while he has already registered 70 centuries at the international level.

A lot of fans believe that he has eclipsed all-time great Sachin Tendulkar in terms of consistency but here’s how Razzaq reacted to the comparisons between Virat and Sachin.

“If Virat Kohli scores, he scores. Yeah, he is a good player for them and is performing consistently, but you cannot place him in the same category as Sachin Tendulkar. He belongs to a different category,” Razzaq had said.

5. “Danish Kaneria would have never represented Pakistan if importance had been given to religion”

One of the few Hindu cricketers to have played for Pakistan at the international level, Danish Kaneria had been the centre of attention a few months ago when Pakistan’s great fast bowler, Shoaib Akhtar opened up on the discrimination prevailing in the team.

Since Pakistan is an Islamic country, Akhtar mentioned that the players did not treat Danish Kaneria as an equal. The retired fast bowler is known for speaking the truth however, Abdul Razzaq disclosed that there was no discrimination in the Pakistani team.

While speaking about this matter, Razzaq told a Pakistani cricket website that the entire controversy was created out of thin air and there is zero truth in whatever Danish Kaneria has said because he would have never represented Pakistan in the first place had prime importance been given to religion.