Throughout the 2023 Cricket World Cup, retired Pakistani cricketers delivered one controversy after another in their efforts to belittle Indian cricketers, India as a country, and even the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the governing body of the sport in the neighboring nation.
The Rohit Sharma-led side cruised through to the final after winning 10 games on the trot, including victories over Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, England, and South Africa.
Though the Men in Blue failed to cross the final hurdle, losing to the Kangaroos in the title clash in Ahmedabad, Rohit Sharma and Co. earned plaudits for playing their cricket with hearts on their sleeves.
Despite the Indian cricket team's remarkable run in the quadrennial event, former Pakistan cricketers repeatedly made comments, mocking the home side on numerous occasions.
Ex-Pakistan Star Accuses India of Manipulating Conditions During World Cup
The latest such statement came from ex-Pakistani all-rounder Abdul Razzaq who caused a stir on the internet by claiming that India's defeat to Australia in the Cricket World Cup final was "good" for the game.
"If I am being honest, cricket won. They were using the conditions to their advantage. Had India won the World Cup, it would have been a sad moment for cricket. Cricket made it clear that it helps the team who are brave and mentally strong. If India would have won, I would have felt very bad. The pitches should be fair, the atmosphere should be fair and there should be balance for both teams. India tried to take advantage even in the final and if Kohli scored another century, India would have once again won the match," Razzaq told a Pakistani TV channel.
His comments almost instantly created a buzz on social media with netizens launching a scathing attack on him for what many described as "bizarre" words from a former player.
This wasn't the first time Razzaq made headlines for the wrong reasons during the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India.
Razzaq Becomes Poster Boy of Controversies During ICC Event
Previously, while analyzing the performance of the Pakistan cricket team, Razzaq degraded Indian actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai, leading to an intense social media backlash against him.
"Younis Khan had good intentions as a captain and it gave me confidence to perform better. Everyone over here is talking about the intention and Pakistan's team. Actually we don’t have good intentions to develop and polish players in Pakistan. If you think that by marrying Aishwarya Rai, a good and pious kid would be born, it would never happen," Razzaq said after the Pakistan cricket team crashed out of the World Cup in the group stage.
Before Razzaq earned infamy for his statements against Indians and Team India, another retired Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Hafeez was taken to the cleaners by former players from multiple nations for calling Virat Kohli "selfish".
Ex-Pakistan Cricketer Under Fire For Labeling Virat Kohli 'Selfish'
This led to a prolonged war of words between ex-England skipper Michael Vaughan and Hafeez, with the former suggesting that the latter was "jealous" of Kohli because he could never achieve the lofty heights the premier India batter has achieved during his record-breaking career.
Apart from Hafeez and Razzaq, Sikandar Bakht and Hassan Raza earned flak from even their own country's legendary cricketers for making "cheating" allegations against Rohit Sharma and the Indian cricket team.
Raza accused the Indian bowlers of using "suspicious balls" before demanding an inspection of the same from the International Cricket Council (ICC), the global governing body of the sport.
"The way Siraj and Shami were swinging the ball, it seemed like the ICC or the BCCI were giving them different and suspicious balls in the second innings. There needs to be an inspection done on the ball. There could also be an extra layer of coating on the ball for swing," Raza, who holds the record for being the youngest debutant in international cricket, declared.
Legends Slam Former Pakistan Players For Mocking Team India
His choice of words did not go well with Pakistan legend Wasim Akram, who blasted him for "embarrassing" other cricketers in the country.
"I have been reading about it for the last couple of days. I want to have the same thing these guys are having, sounds like fun because their mind is not there. You will embarrass yourself and you will get us humiliated as well in front of the whole world," Akram said during a cricket show on a Pakistani network.
Pakistan like India is regarded as a powerhouse of cricket. Yet, India's financial muscle in the sport is well-documented, with at least 80 percent of the global cricket revenue coming from the world's largest democratic sovereign state.
Economics Behind Bizarre Remarks
Furthermore, unlike in India, where post-retirement opportunities in cricket are in abundance, there are not many money-earning avenues for former cricketers.
Most of the former Pakistan cricketers run their YouTube channels and make money from them by commenting on Team India's cricketers, instead of their team in what can be termed as greed for being quoted in the Indian media.
For example, ex-Pakistan cricketers like Salman Butt, Danish Kaneria, and Hafeez to name a few, seem to be willfully analyzing India's performances even when the Green Army would be in action.
Such Comments Are Nothing But Nonsense
Former Indian cricketer Gopal Sharma, who represented the national team from 1985 to 1990, pointed out that ex-Pakistani cricketers making controversial statements had more to do to remain in the news or else they would lose their relevance.
In addition, he mentioned that by delivering such remarks they were not doing any favor to Pakistan cricket and only earning a bad name for themselves.
"Retired Pakistani cricketers earn their living by commenting on the Indian cricket team. Perhaps this is why they want to stir controversies during a tournament like the World Cup," Sharma told Sputnik India on Thursday.
"But saying something which does not have any logic or basis can only be described as nonsense, and that is what I call such comments made by Pakistan cricketers," he concluded.