World Cup 2019: Criticise us, but don’t abuse, pleads Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed

Pakistan went through a horror run in the first half of their league stage matches in the 2019 World Cup. After losing to the Windies in Nottingham, Sarfaraz Ahmed & Co. rolled over hosts and favourites England. However, the Men in Green stumbled to defeats at the hands of Australia and their campaign went into the doldrums. The 89-run drubbing at the hands of arch-rivals India didn’t go down well with the fans.

They were involved in a one-lopsided affair at the Old Trafford in Manchester where India outplayed Pakistan in all the departments. Subsequently, Pakistan captain Sarfaraz was a recipient of severe backlash from the netizens. A number of fans accused the players of having junk foods on a regular basis and not keeping up with the desired levels of fitness. To rub salt on the wounds, Sarfaraz had to even face body-shaming.

When he went to a mall along with his son, a supporter called him ‘fat as a pig’. But the experienced campaigner didn’t react to him and gracefully walked. After all the criticism and chaos, 45-year-old former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq urged the fans to back their team in the situation of crisis.

Nevertheless, Pakistan made an incredible comeback, beating South Africa by 49 runs at the Lord’s in London. Subsequently, they kept their hopes of qualifying for the semis alive. In the meantime, Sarfaraz pleaded the fans to not hurl abuses and said that winning and losing are part and parcels of a game.

Sarfaraz Ahmed opens up

“I can’t say anything on this. It’s not in our hands to control what people say about us. Winning and losing is part of the game and it’s not that we are the first team to have lost a match; previous teams also have faced defeats. Had earlier teams faced the kind of criticism that we are facing, they would have realised how much these things hurt us,” Sarfaraz was quoted as saying after the game as per Times Now.

“Now, there is social media. People write, comment and say whatever they like. These incidents affect the psychology of the players. While criticising, one must not abuse. Criticise us on our cricket but don’t get abusive with us,” the 32-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman added.