Players refusing to sign autographs

[Saj]

There are many incidents that attract your attention at a cricket ground during a day's play. Some on the field and others off the field.

Yesterday at Edgbaston one incident caught my eye and disappointed me greatly.

Pakistan played 12 players and there were 3 substitutes who basically had a pretty easy day taking drinks on the field and providing back up to their colleagues.

My family were seated in one of the lounges above where the Pakistan dressing room was and at points during the day I went to see my family for a few minutes.

During one visit I noticed the Pakistan substitutes sat in their chairs watching the action - one of them then had to climb some stairs to head back to the dressing room.

Whilst he was doing this I noticed a girl of around 7 or 8 years old pluck up the courage to approach him with a piece of paper and a pen. The player stopped, looked at the young girl and then just blanked her and walked away. The little girl was polite and it wasn't as if there was a huge queue of rude people asking for his autograph.

I won't name the player but the young girl was clearly upset and with an embarrassed look on her face headed back to her seat.

It would have taken the player literally a few seconds to sign his autograph. The player was not even playing so was not being distracted or sidetracked.

Very poor stuff from this individual and very sad to see.

 

[Da_Future_Knick]

I don't know who it is but I always had a feeling Amir has these type of problems.

This is not acceptable, if it wasn't for the fans these players wouldn't be here.

 

[Dr_Green]

Disgraceful

When I was much younger at uni I met shoaib akhter in a night club who at the time was my favourite player, I went over and shook his hand and tried to initiate a conversation. He just gave me this look as if I wasn't worthy of his time and blanked me ... lost all respect for him and wasn't surprised his career went the way he did

 

[DRsohail]

very sad to hear..

 

[Square Drive]

Yeah, probably was Amir.

Disappointing.

 

[Faisalsq092]

If the guy wasn't playing, that leaves us with 3 suspects.

1) Amir
2) Haris
3) Fakhar.

 

[ChachaPakistani]

Love how the pitchforks went out for Amir immediately with 0 proof whatsoever. The OP kept it private for a reason .

 

[Square Drive]

If the guy wasn't playing, that leaves us with 3 suspects.

1) Amir
2) Haris
3) Fakhar.

Hard to see inexperienced cricketers doing this.

Has to be Amir tbh.

 

[dauntless]

Disgusting behaviour of the particular player.

 

[kingusama92]

Unfortunate.

There are times where I feel bad for players because fans can be rude and aggressive. However, refusing a 7-year-old girl is classless.

That's a lifelong fan you could have made with a few seconds of your time.

On the opposite end, I remember Javed Miandad gave me a signed jersey + bat even though I had asked for a simple autograph as a 12-year-old (only time I visited PAK).

Earned a lot of respect from me that day.

 

[cricketerB94]

Safe approach after recent spot fixing allegations. People on this forum get emotional too soon.
It was a matter of few seconds for that girl but it could end the career of that player for life when you have Najam Sethi at the helm.
Maybe, they were not allowed by the PCB to give autographs or meet anyone.

 

[ahmedzee]

Waqar younis did something similar back 15 years ago to me. Infact he actually grabbed the autograph book and threw it away off his car window. Lost all the respect I had for him. I still don't respect him.

 

[NauV]

Because there is nothing conclusive, it's unfair to judge . . It just COULD BE that they have been asked to keep away from the crowd . . and Amir for one has definitely been asked to stay away from any 3rd party interaction . . we need to know the other side before we reach judgements . . With the eyes on Pakistan and fixing particularly, I wouldn't be surprised if they are practicing over caution . . and it seems like these things originate in England too . . lol

Yes, its a little girl . . but it could be anyone . . and if indeed is a policy, in that case I am sure the policy distinguishes between fans and their ages . .

Not saying that's the case . . just offering an alternate perspective . . let's not be so quick to judge!

 

[wasimjunior]

Waqar younis did something similar back 15 years ago to me. Infact he actually grabbed the autograph book and threw it away off his car window. Lost all the respect I had for him. I still don't respect him.

Met Waqar numerous times and he's been rude every single time. Unlike wasim who has been more than nice on multiple occasions.
[MENTION=9]Saj[/MENTION] should expose who it is, this is really poor form and the guy deserves some stick.

 

[srh]

Unfortunate.

There are times where I feel bad for players because fans can be rude and aggressive. However, refusing a 7-year-old girl is classless.

That's a lifelong fan you could have made with a few seconds of your time.

On the opposite end, I remember Javed Miandad gave me a signed jersey + bat even though I had asked for a simple autograph as a 12-year-old (only time I visited PAK).

Earned a lot of respect from me that day.

Damn signed jersey + bat. You must have something on you to become so attractive to him.

 

[IAJ]

Any way we can give the player benefit of the doubt?

In general I think there is too much arrogance in pakistani players. Most of them completely change when they taste some fame and think they are some untouchable superstars.

 

[Pete Rose]

to go with what some of the others are saying, this i think is the fall out of the spot-fixing stuff.
Whenever Pakistan come to england there is always a long line of shady characters tailing most players.
Most ppl will say, use common sense, its just a little girl. But I think when players collectively show bad judgement over a prolonged period, its probably better to err on the side of caution.

Having said that, its something the ICC wont allow in the match situation.

 

[TalhaSyed]

I love the "it must have been Amir" and "I always had a feeling Amir had this problem" statements

Having worked as a steward at a cricket ground where I got to spend time with the players/umpires & also having attended the players training camp back in 2013 prior to the CT - I don't blame the guy to be honest.

Sure - from a 3rd persons point of view - it doesn't look great. It's not easy for anyone - never mind a 7 year old kid - to approach one of your heroes to ask for an autograph & to aw the them getting ignored is disheartening.

However, from the players point of view there are 2 things to keep in mind:

> These players are under strict orders not to communicate with anyone 'unknown' by the team management - specially during matches. To an innocent by stander it could just be a a kid asking for an autograph on a blank sheet of paper, however, that same piece of paper could have also had some sort of message written on it - with the kid simply being used as a means to get the piece of paper to the player. There is a reason the ICC has banned players using their mobile phones in the dressing room during matches, and if they start accepting pieces of paper from the fans, then that will create a major hole in the system.

I know that doesn't sound great and anyone's first reaction would be "don't be ridiculous - it was just a 7 year old trying to get an autograph!!", however, unfortunately it is simply a sign of the times we currently live in.

Back in 2013, the 1st practice session which I attended, the team management weren't 100% convinced that I was there from PakPassion, since there was literally 0 media at the practice session. Thankfully Cricket Scotland were a lot more relaxed, and after a few checks let me in. However, two of the guys who were with the teams management staff were lurking around me the entire time & every time a player walked past me, stopped for a casual chat or even acknowledged me being there with a smile/nod of the head - the two guys would rush over to see what was happening.

Again - I don't blame the guys - it's simply just a sign of the times we live in & precautions which have to be taken by management and players following all the fixing scandals we have seen in recent years

> The second point will probably be a less of an issue since here were only a handfull of fans at the ground yesterday - however - worth mentioning none the less. It's very possible that the players had been requested/told by the grounds management not to engage with the fans.

It simply takes a player giving one fan an autograph or getting a selfie with one fan - which in this instance was unfortunately a 7 year old kid - for everyone else to spot an opportunity and to start crowding around the stairs which the players are using and/or the pavilion area.

Once this starts happening, it gets very difficult to manage - specially at a warm up match where you do not have a large number of security personal and stewards at hand. I know - again - the first reaction would be "no one was noticing, it would just take a couple of seconds for the player to sign the girls piece of paper and walk off!" however, the fact is that people (like Saj) ARE noticing and the fans in the stands around the pavilion constantly have their eyes on the players. As soon as one fan sees an opening to get an autograph or a selfie with a player - they all rush towards the pavilion and start attracting crowds which gets very difficult to manage.

Now - I know this is all very unfortunate and it's sad to see a young fan being let down by a player like this - however, it's important to acknowledge what position the player was in before starting to bash him - or worse - start guessing who the player was.

If this before all the fixing issues we have seen in recent years, or even if the fan had approached the player once the match was finished and the crowds were leaving, then the outcome may have been different. However, given the current climate with regards to fixing & the fact that the player was approached during the game, makes things very different.

 

[Major]

Waqar younis did something similar back 15 years ago to me. Infact he actually grabbed the autograph book and threw it away off his car window. Lost all the respect I had for him. I still don't respect him.

Wow. Real pathetic from the guy

 

[jazbati]

Over the top reaction from OP. Not a big issue at all. This is something even Masala news won't consider to discuss.

 

[Abdullah]

@saj
I went Edgbaston for the England test last year.
My nephew asked for autographs and was told by rizwan they had been told not to sign autographs and they had to ask team manager first. I said that was fine i dont want to get u in any trouble then asked the team manager who happened to be there and the subs then signed the autograph. This was during lunch when substitutes come for fielding drill and were on theIr way back.
So it's not clear cut as u make it.
I guess some of the players will be towing all the lines just in case

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

I love the "it must have been Amir" and "I always had a feeling Amir had this problem" statements

Having worked as a steward at a cricket ground where I got to spend time with the players/umpires & also having attended the players training camp back in 2013 prior to the CT - I don't blame the guy to be honest.

Sure - from a 3rd persons point of view - it doesn't look great. It's not easy for anyone - never mind a 7 year old kid - to approach one of your heroes to ask for an autograph & to aw the them getting ignored is disheartening.

However, from the players point of view there are 2 things to keep in mind:

> These players are under strict orders not to communicate with anyone 'unknown' by the team management - specially during matches. To an innocent by stander it could just be a a kid asking for an autograph on a blank sheet of paper, however, that same piece of paper could have also had some sort of message written on it - with the kid simply being used as a means to get the piece of paper to the player. There is a reason the ICC has banned players using their mobile phones in the dressing room during matches, and if they start accepting pieces of paper from the fans, then that will create a major hole in the system.

I know that doesn't sound great and anyone's first reaction would be "don't be ridiculous - it was just a 7 year old trying to get an autograph!!", however, unfortunately it is simply a sign of the times we currently live in.

Back in 2013, the 1st practice session which I attended, the team management weren't 100% convinced that I was there from PakPassion, since there was literally 0 media at the practice session. Thankfully Cricket Scotland were a lot more relaxed, and after a few checks let me in. However, two of the guys who were with the teams management staff were lurking around me the entire time & every time a player walked past me, stopped for a casual chat or even acknowledged me being there with a smile/nod of the head - the two guys would rush over to see what was happening.

Again - I don't blame the guys - it's simply just a sign of the times we live in & precautions which have to be taken by management and players following all the fixing scandals we have seen in recent years

> The second point will probably be a less of an issue since here were only a handfull of fans at the ground yesterday - however - worth mentioning none the less. It's very possible that the players had been requested/told by the grounds management not to engage with the fans.

It simply takes a player giving one fan an autograph or getting a selfie with one fan - which in this instance was unfortunately a 7 year old kid - for everyone else to spot an opportunity and to start crowding around the stairs which the players are using and/or the pavilion area.

Once this starts happening, it gets very difficult to manage - specially at a warm up match where you do not have a large number of security personal and stewards at hand. I know - again - the first reaction would be "no one was noticing, it would just take a couple of seconds for the player to sign the girls piece of paper and walk off!" however, the fact is that people (like Saj) ARE noticing and the fans in the stands around the pavilion constantly have their eyes on the players. As soon as one fan sees an opening to get an autograph or a selfie with a player - they all rush towards the pavilion and start attracting crowds which gets very difficult to manage.

Now - I know this is all very unfortunate and it's sad to see a young fan being let down by a player like this - however, it's important to acknowledge what position the player was in before starting to bash him - or worse - start guessing who the player was.

If this before all the fixing issues we have seen in recent years, or even if the fan had approached the player once the match was finished and the crowds were leaving, then the outcome may have been different. However, given the current climate with regards to fixing & the fact that the player was approached during the game, makes things very different.

Seriously Talha Bahi if only people were as rational as you........ This is practically a non issue......

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

does not matter. signing autographs is a non-issue. no need to even rationalize it to make people understand this.

 

[Cricketfan no 1]

i remember back in 2004 when i was just 8 and was a huge cricket fan
after Pakistan lost to India, both the teams were in marriot where i saw Irfan pathan and Kaif, i followed them, they were heading for dinner and when i asked for autograph, Irfan pathan literally asked me to sit with him during dinner and he gave me an autograph
such a humble person he was and he was Hero on that tour iirc

 

[TalhaSyed]

Seriously Talha Bahi if only people were as rational as you........ This is practically a non issue......

Thank you bro

Absolutely agree - no need to give the incident a second thought.

 

[MenInG]

It's not an issue but reflects poorly on players

This is not about private time. This is what makes players like Younis so special as they take time to talk etc with fans

 

[in_cutter]

A non-issue tbh. Players have to follow strict protocols I guess.

 

[Archer]

I actually had a very different story when getting autographs from the Pakistani players. Over 3 instances I had no issues in getting autographs from any of the players. This all happened in the recent tour of Australia

First, during the Sydney Test, I got an autograph from Imran Khan Jr and Wahab Riaz on the boundary line. They were really humble and came themselves when they saw me wanting to get an autograph and offered to take a selfie

Second, during the Melbourne ODI, same thing but with Umar Akmal and Shoaib Malik on the boundary line

Lastly, I met the entire team in Adelaide whilst they were staying at their hotel (I was also staying there). I found the entire team polite and humble and they themselves would come to shake my hand and talk about cricket. I spent time with them over a dinner reception in their honour and over breakfast at the hotel. (They would be chilling in the lobby as well). I had no issues approaching any of them for an autograph or a selfie, and all of them happily signed my mini-bat. In fact, I found Amir one of the most nicest and approachable guys in the entire team.

 

[Archer]

So I dont think that we should blame the player, maybe the heat of the situation got to him or he was having a rough day, otherwise most players would happily sign autographs for fans

 

[Big Mac]

Why is everybody missing the real issue here, Saj came to Brum and didn't come say hi to me. THAT's disrespectful

 

[Tabishbeigh]

We can't ignore the fact that the concerned player could be an anghootachap ,fearing himself to be insulted before a kid he chose to ignore her !!

 

[todfod 11]

Waqar is one of the rudest person.. also Hafeez he is bit rude as well.

 

[shaz619]

I love the "it must have been Amir" and "I always had a feeling Amir had this problem" statements

Having worked as a steward at a cricket ground where I got to spend time with the players/umpires & also having attended the players training camp back in 2013 prior to the CT - I don't blame the guy to be honest.

Sure - from a 3rd persons point of view - it doesn't look great. It's not easy for anyone - never mind a 7 year old kid - to approach one of your heroes to ask for an autograph & to aw the them getting ignored is disheartening.

However, from the players point of view there are 2 things to keep in mind:

> These players are under strict orders not to communicate with anyone 'unknown' by the team management - specially during matches. To an innocent by stander it could just be a a kid asking for an autograph on a blank sheet of paper, however, that same piece of paper could have also had some sort of message written on it - with the kid simply being used as a means to get the piece of paper to the player. There is a reason the ICC has banned players using their mobile phones in the dressing room during matches, and if they start accepting pieces of paper from the fans, then that will create a major hole in the system.

I know that doesn't sound great and anyone's first reaction would be "don't be ridiculous - it was just a 7 year old trying to get an autograph!!", however, unfortunately it is simply a sign of the times we currently live in.

Back in 2013, the 1st practice session which I attended, the team management weren't 100% convinced that I was there from PakPassion, since there was literally 0 media at the practice session. Thankfully Cricket Scotland were a lot more relaxed, and after a few checks let me in. However, two of the guys who were with the teams management staff were lurking around me the entire time & every time a player walked past me, stopped for a casual chat or even acknowledged me being there with a smile/nod of the head - the two guys would rush over to see what was happening.

Again - I don't blame the guys - it's simply just a sign of the times we live in & precautions which have to be taken by management and players following all the fixing scandals we have seen in recent years

> The second point will probably be a less of an issue since here were only a handfull of fans at the ground yesterday - however - worth mentioning none the less. It's very possible that the players had been requested/told by the grounds management not to engage with the fans.

It simply takes a player giving one fan an autograph or getting a selfie with one fan - which in this instance was unfortunately a 7 year old kid - for everyone else to spot an opportunity and to start crowding around the stairs which the players are using and/or the pavilion area.

Once this starts happening, it gets very difficult to manage - specially at a warm up match where you do not have a large number of security personal and stewards at hand. I know - again - the first reaction would be "no one was noticing, it would just take a couple of seconds for the player to sign the girls piece of paper and walk off!" however, the fact is that people (like Saj) ARE noticing and the fans in the stands around the pavilion constantly have their eyes on the players. As soon as one fan sees an opening to get an autograph or a selfie with a player - they all rush towards the pavilion and start attracting crowds which gets very difficult to manage.

Now - I know this is all very unfortunate and it's sad to see a young fan being let down by a player like this - however, it's important to acknowledge what position the player was in before starting to bash him - or worse - start guessing who the player was.

If this before all the fixing issues we have seen in recent years, or even if the fan had approached the player once the match was finished and the crowds were leaving, then the outcome may have been different. However, given the current climate with regards to fixing & the fact that the player was approached during the game, makes things very different.

A relative of mine also was a steward during the 2013 CT and I respect the strict orders the players are under but in this instance I think an exception could have been made for the 7 year old.

Also, posters should refrain from throwing names out there without even knowing who it is for sure.

But these players recently took pictures with my friend in Birmingham recently:

Shoaib Malik
Mohammad Amir
Sarfraz Ahmed
Azhar Mahmood

 

[Coconut]

Absolutely disgraceful. Whoever it is, he should be ashamed of his behavior.

 

[HitWicket]

Was at the England v South Africa ODI yesterday sat near the steps down from the away dressing room and credit to the South Africans every time one of the players came down the stairs they signed something for every single kid that wanted something.

 

[IMMY69]

The cricketers are absolutely nothing without the fans.
They should be well advised to remember this.

 

[TalhaSyed]

A relative of mine also was a steward during the 2013 CT and I respect the strict orders the players are under but in this instance I think an exception could have been made for the 7 year old.

Also, posters should refrain from throwing names out there without even knowing who it is for sure.

But these players recently took pictures with my friend in Birmingham recently:

Shoaib Malik
Mohammad Amir
Sarfraz Ahmed
Azhar Mahmood

Yea if a player wants to make an exception then that is upto their discretion of course.

When I met the team back in 2013 - granted Amir, Fakhir and Haris weren't there - but all the players who were there were very happy not only to take a picture but also have a chat about PP and my role on PP.

 

[captain crook]

Waqar younis did something similar back 15 years ago to me. Infact he actually grabbed the autograph book and threw it away off his car window. Lost all the respect I had for him. I still don't respect him.

Shocking behavior!

 

[shaz619]

Yea if a player wants to make an exception then that is upto their discretion of course.

When I met the team back in 2013 - granted Amir, Fakhir and Haris weren't there - but all the players who were there were very happy not only to take a picture but also have a chat about PP and my role on PP.

They're a good bunch were all smiles, took pictures and didn't say much for obvious reasons which you stated in your post but were like inshaAllah we will win and the team is in good shape. My friend is hoping to interrogate Mickey if he see's him he works very close to the ground. Also, another fun fact which he found out was that Sarfraz loves cake rusk

 

[shaz619]

I feel for that little girl though it's like me going up to Shawn Michaels and he gives me a super kick or Cena refusing to kiss a baby, man I would never recover from HBK rejecting me even more then Janetty [MENTION=47617]Red Devil[/MENTION] , older fans can be very naughty as [MENTION=3474]TalhaSyed[/MENTION] and my relative would know being stewards so I won't blame them for keeping to themselves but the younger ones are generally the most well behaved ! and look upon these cricketers as their super hero's so it's really sad but at the same time we don't know the full story so I won't comment further

 

[Speedster777]

Met Waqar numerous times and he's been rude every single time. Unlike wasim who has been more than nice on multiple occasions.

[MENTION=9]Saj[/MENTION] should expose who it is, this is really poor form and the guy deserves some stick.

I remember meeting Wasim Akram and Moin Khan as a kid both were extremely friendly.

 

[Red Devil]

I feel for that little girl though it's like me going up to Shawn Michaels and he gives me a super kick or Cena refusing to kiss a baby, man I would never recover from HBK rejecting me even more then Janetty [MENTION=47617]Red Devil[/MENTION] , older fans can be very naughty as [MENTION=3474]TalhaSyed[/MENTION] and my relative would know being stewards so I won't blame them for keeping to themselves but the younger ones are generally the most well behaved ! and look upon these cricketers as their super hero's so it's really sad but at the same time we don't know the full story so I won't comment further

Haha yeah man regardless of what the reason was for the snub, the poor girl must have been heartbroken. :/ But yeah, there's definitely more to this than meets the eye. This being a big tournament, there must be a lot of restrictions on the players with regards to interaction with fans etc, especially considering all the recent fixing controversies that have come to light.

 

[shaz619]

Haha yeah man regardless of what the reason was for the snub, the poor girl must have been heartbroken. :/ But yeah, there's definitely more to this than meets the eye. This being a big tournament, there must be a lot of restrictions on the players with regards to interaction with fans etc, especially considering all the recent fixing controversies that have come to light.

Worst case scenario what do you imagine would have been the aftermath of that interaction with the girl ? lets assume she was a spy, there'd be an investigation and so long the player's niyat was clean then he'd have nothing to worry about unless the girl handed him a drink which was spiked and he'd go onto fail a drugs test but man we're really pushing it now ) I think what may have happened was there's a chance that he wanted to give the autograph but the situation made it hard I don't know otherwise it's really unusual , plus it's a practice game to and folk are more flexible compared to tournament games and even then we saw saffers give autographs to bache on the boundaries during the england games recently

 

[The_Odd_One]

Players or any other celebrities are not liable to give autographs. Considering the spot/match fixing problem, that particular player may have been told not to interact with any fans.

 

[TalhaSyed]

They're a good bunch were all smiles, took pictures and didn't say much for obvious reasons which you stated in your post but were like inshaAllah we will win and the team is in good shape. My friend is hoping to interrogate Mickey if he see's him he works very close to the ground. Also, another fun fact which he found out was that Sarfraz loves cake rusk

Yea man absolutely. Haha good to know fun fact

See if you think about it from everyone's perspective - it's just an unfortunate event:

The little girl: Ofcourse i feel really bad for her. It takes a lot of courage to approach someone you look up to and it's not easy to be ignored like that. Pretty heart breaking for a young fans

Let's look at the three subs who it may have been:

Amir: The last thing the guy wants to do is get in any more trouble, so it hard to blame him for not wanting to break the rules

Fakhir: The guys hardly played for the team yet, so again - understandable that he doesn't want to get on managements wrong side

Haris: The guys just came back into the team after a long lay off, he wasn't the selectors first choice so he knows he's gotta make a good impression on and off the field so again hard to blame the guy for not wanting to bend or break some reals

As I'm sure you're friend can tell you - by enlarge the players are pretty chilled, laid back and happy to interact with fans - however, at the same time due to recent unfortunate events there are slot of rules imposed on the guys which they have to abide by which is understandable

 

[shaz619]

Yea man absolutely. Haha good to know fun fact

See if you think about it from everyone's perspective - it's just an unfortunate event:

The little girl: Ofcourse i feel really bad for her. It takes a lot of courage to approach someone you look up to and it's not easy to be ignored like that. Pretty heart breaking for a young fans

Let's look at the three subs who it may have been:

Amir: The last thing the guy wants to do is get in any more trouble, so it hard to blame him for not wanting to break the rules

Fakhir: The guys hardly played for the team yet, so again - understandable that he doesn't want to get on managements wrong side

Haris: The guys just came back into the team after a long lay off, he wasn't the selectors first choice so he knows he's gotta make a good impression on and off the field so again hard to blame the guy for not wanting to bend or break some reals

As I'm sure you're friend can tell you - by enlarge the players are pretty chilled, laid back and happy to interact with fans - however, at the same time due to recent unfortunate events there are slot of rules imposed on the guys which they have to abide by which is understandable

I agree with you they're all cool, Amir is a good guy although don't know much about the other two mid carders who have been given a push. It's really strange I just can't see them ignoring that girl based on being bad human beings if am honest, either they were overly concerned about protocols, had a brain freeze or just it may have been a situation where something came up and they wanted to but were unable to.

 

[Red Devil]

Worst case scenario what do you imagine would have been the aftermath of that interaction with the girl ? lets assume she was a spy, there'd be an investigation and so long the player's niyat was clean then he'd have nothing to worry about unless the girl handed him a drink which was spiked and he'd go onto fail a drugs test but man we're really pushing it now ) I think what may have happened was there's a chance that he wanted to give the autograph but the situation made it hard I don't know otherwise it's really unusual , plus it's a practice game to and folk are more flexible compared to tournament games and even then we saw saffers give autographs to bache on the boundaries during the england games recently

) That's definitely pushing it, bro. I'm pretty sure the girl was just an innocent fan lol. And tbh we see Pakistani players give autographs on the boundary line all the time. Also, most of the players are down-to-earth and really nice guys, so I really can't think of any reasons why anybody would ignore a little girl like that, other than the possibility of the players being banned from any kind of interaction with the fans.

 

[Statsman]

It's not an issue but reflects poorly on players

This is not about private time. This is what makes players like Younis so special as they take time to talk etc with fans

Didn't YK manhandle a fan a few years ago?

I've had a bitter experience when I asked David warner for an autograph. He got really annoyed for no reason. Best experience was with Mushy bhai. Really down to earth guy.

 

[super hitter]

For Amir, I can understand it from his perspective, the guy is trying to be way more safer than the requirement,

Haris is a humble guy,

Really would feel for the fan but the behaviour is understandable with all the recent fixing activities going on

 

[Savak]

Don't think a player would fear spot fixing approaches from a 7 year old fan?

 

[wasimjunior]

I remember meeting Wasim Akram and Moin Khan as a kid both were extremely friendly.

Met a lot international players in my time, wasim is one of the nicest. Mad considering how big a star he is. And that's on lots of separate occasions so none of this good day/bad day stuff.


From foreign teams, it will surprise people but Dale Steyn is actually a seriously seriously top guy. The hard man image is all an act.

In fact very few players I've found rude or not nice. Ramprakash and Waqar stick out as the worst.

 

[MenInG]

Didn't YK manhandle a fan a few years ago?

I've had a bitter experience when I asked David warner for an autograph. He got really annoyed for no reason. Best experience was with Mushy bhai. Really down to earth guy.

Whenever I have seen him he has come out of his way to talk and oblige fans with pics etc

 

[joly]

Disgraceful

When I was much younger at uni I met shoaib akhter in a night club who at the time was my favourite player, I went over and shook his hand and tried to initiate a conversation. He just gave me this look as if I wasn't worthy of his time and blanked me ... lost all respect for him and wasn't surprised his career went the way he did

I am shocked that Shoaib can do this

 

[Ultimate]

That's why I am strictly against this celebrity/fan culture, the celebrities think they are something out of this world.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

That's why I am strictly against this celebrity/fan culture, the celebrities think they are something out of this world.

Then stop asking for their autograph.

 

[Ultimate]

Then stop asking for their autograph.

Have I asked for it?

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Disgraceful

When I was much younger at uni I met shoaib akhter in a night club who at the time was my favourite player, I went over and shook his hand and tried to initiate a conversation. He just gave me this look as if I wasn't worthy of his time and blanked me ... lost all respect for him and wasn't surprised his career went the way he did

What were you expecting, a big hug? You're a random stranger him just like many million others. Of course he's gonna ignore you. Most players will, in their down time.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Some lame excuses, it was a 7 year old girl not a middle aged posh bloke called Victor.

They are just people who are representing their country in a sport. What they do on the field is all that matters as I pay their wages like other fans. If they perform well they will be applauded. If they fail, they will be criticised on and off the field. What they are as people is no interest to me, so having their signature means little.

There is only one cricketer whose autograph I have and cherish. It's because he's much more than a cricketer now. When I met him, he was very humble.

 

[Ultimate]

What were you expecting, a big hug? You're a random stranger him just like many million others. Of course he's gonna ignore you. Most players will, in their down time.

Har fard hai millat ke muqaddar ka sitara.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Have I asked for it?

Then, don't worry about how they behave whens others ask for it. If you don't wanna treat them as super ishtars then it does not matter how they behave.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Met a lot international players in my time, wasim is one of the nicest. Mad considering how big a star he is. And that's on lots of separate occasions so none of this good day/bad day stuff.


From foreign teams, it will surprise people but Dale Steyn is actually a seriously seriously top guy. The hard man image is all an act.

In fact very few players I've found rude or not nice. Ramprakash and Waqar stick out as the worst.

Steyn and Ab are very nice guys. Met them years ago when they were playing for RCB. Most saffers generally are.

 

[Specialisttailender]

I had a incident with an Indian player from Tamil Nadu few years ago. My brother's friend held a small birthday party at his beach guest house in Chennai. He had invited his relative cricketer to his birthday party since we all annoyed him to. The cricketer had said that he would only come if the party was small. We have yet to meet this cricketer in person as we are not actually from Chennai. So it was just 20 of us or so, all males between the age of 16 to mid 20s. When he arrived with two of his friends he wasn't happy with some of us being there and he made sure we knew about it. When we tried to initiate conversations he would look at us and refuse to say anything. Time to time he would say "You will get it if any pictures end up on FB" to my brother's friend while chugging down one glass after another.

 

[Ultimate]

Then, don't worry about how they behave whens others ask for it. If you don't wanna treat them as super ishtars then it does not matter how they behave.

You can't suppress my opinion.

 

[Hasan123]

It was a young girl. Absolutely ridiculous from the player not to sign the autograph.

The players are nothing without fans.

 

[TalhaSyed]

I agree with you they're all cool, Amir is a good guy although don't know much about the other two mid carders who have been given a push. It's really strange I just can't see them ignoring that girl based on being bad human beings if am honest, either they were overly concerned about protocols, had a brain freeze or just it may have been a situation where something came up and they wanted to but were unable to.

Yea I think they were just over cautious about protocol and didn't want to go breaking/bending any rules.

On the other hand - if they had decided to gone ahead and give the young fan an autograph- I would have completely supported that - just like I am sure many on this forum would have done - and would have completely seen why they were happy to do so for a young fan

No point in judging anyone based on such a vague narration of a nothing incident in my opinion.

 

[shravan]

I had a incident with an Indian player from Tamil Nadu few years ago. My brother's friend held a small birthday party at his beach guest house in Chennai. He had invited his relative cricketer to his birthday party since we all annoyed him to. The cricketer had said that he would only come if the party was small. We have yet to meet this cricketer in person as we are not actually from Chennai. So it was just 20 of us or so, all males between the age of 16 to mid 20s. When he arrived with two of his friends he wasn't happy with some of us being there and he made sure we knew about it. When we tried to initiate conversations he would look at us and refuse to say anything. Time to time he would say "You will get it if any pictures end up on FB" to my brother's friend while chugging down one glass after another.

dk??

 

[Specialisttailender]

dk??

There are only 4 options so I'm not gonna give any hint or a clue.

 

[kingusama92]

Damn signed jersey + bat. You must have something on you to become so attractive to him.

Right place, right time probably. Must have been having a brilliant day.

 

[A-Team]

Ahmed Shazad did something very similar to my 8 year old son at Dubai team hotel.

The look on my lads face after being ignored.

 

[Indiafan]

If the guy wasn't playing, that leaves us with 3 suspects.

1) Amir
2) Haris
3) Fakhar.

Would a 7 year old kid know the other two or even care?

 

[Ellipsism]

I have doubts about whether a seven year old girl would know who Harris and Fakhar are.

That only leaves one.

 

[fasihulhaq94]

Met Waqar numerous times and he's been rude every single time. Unlike wasim who has been more than nice on multiple occasions.

[MENTION=9]Saj[/MENTION] should expose who it is, this is really poor form and the guy deserves some stick.

lol at expose the guy!

there is nothing to expose. The guy didn't want to give the autograph so he turned the girl down

 

[wasimjunior]

I have doubts about whether a seven year old girl would know who Harris and Fakhar are.

That only leaves one.

Kids just want an autograph regardless. I've seen team physios being asked for autographs before

 

[wasimjunior]

lol at expose the guy!

there is nothing to expose. The guy didn't want to give the autograph so he turned the girl down

That is something to expose no?

These players are nothing without their fans

 

[Hawkeye]

That is something to expose no?

These players are nothing without their fans

I think one can't really judge others and talk about exposing unless they know the story of the other side.

Maybe the player in question wasn't present there mentally at the time - was having a bad day already, someone from the management had giving him orders to come back asap/not to interact with anyone, etc.

We have to understand that players are humans. They come across 100s of such fans, they interact and give autographs to most, but at times some miss out. It's not an easy life when you have hundreds always expecting you to be super nice and give everyone full attention, autograph etc.

Some players give a bad rep if they ignore fans ALL the time and are rude ALL the time. Otherwise, it's an absolute non -issue and shouldn't be blown out of proportions.

 

[Hawkeye]

Yea I think they were just over cautious about protocol and didn't want to go breaking/bending any rules.

On the other hand - if they had decided to gone ahead and give the young fan an autograph- I would have completely supported that - just like I am sure many on this forum would have done - and would have completely seen why they were happy to do so for a young fan

No point in judging anyone based on such a vague narration of a nothing incident in my opinion.

Absolutely correct.

 

[ahmedzee]

Met Waqar numerous times and he's been rude every single time. Unlike wasim who has been more than nice on multiple occasions.

[MENTION=9]Saj[/MENTION] should expose who it is, this is really poor form and the guy deserves some stick.

Wow. Real pathetic from the guy

Shocking behavior!

Just an FYI:

- Wasim Akram was there as well and he was happy to sign and take pictures with fans. Even spoke to me as I told him he is my all time fav cricketer.

- Singer Shehzad Roy was there too. He was not as friendly as Wasim but still was engaging with fans.

- It was a special charity event and celebrities were expected to take pictures and sign autographs.

- Throughout the course of the night, I didn't see Waqar being in a single picture or giving a single autograph. He was moody and downright arrogant. He was behaving as if we were his personal enemies. Totally lost all the respect I had for him. You are nothing without the fans. He could've just learnt a thing or two from Wasim Akram.

 

[PakLFC]

Most are uneducated. They don't realise that without Pak fans they are nothing at all.

 

[Hasan123]

My cousin went today to the warm up game. He got the autographs of Hafeez,Shehzad,Azhar,and Hasa Ali. Also managed to grab a selfi with Hafeez, Amir, and Babar.

So players aren't always reluctant to sign autographs.

 

[Bilal7]

No, the player did absolutely nothing wrong. He was in no way obliged to give the little girl an autograph and might have had a tough day or had something important that he wanted to get done in the dressing room. Plus, once you give one autograph, four or five other people show up.