You can LMAOO all you want but by saying what he did and where he did, Imad did show his immaturity and insensitivity. You don;t speak for him and so have no idea what he did or didnt imply. Every religion is a religion of faith and muslims are no exception. He could have just stated that "fans do not need to fight, respect each other as its just a game" without bringing religion into it and there woudl have been nop controversy. On a global platform, as a somebody, anything and everything you say matters.
100% agree with this.
PCB needs to do a better job in training players in media management, and in keeping out of such needless controversies, and to remain focussed on the game. Some suggested tips/advice that PCB should give to players:
1. If you are a captain and are asked about the defeat after a match, refrain from making statements like 'I apologize to all muslims around the world for this loss'. If you cant think of anything non controversial, or cannot resist the urge to invoke religion into your response, pick from one of the standard responses: 1. The better team won. 2. We will learn from our mistakes and be back in the next game/tournament. 3. The game of cricket is the winner 4. The boys fought hard but in the end that was not enough 5. Win or loss is part of the game and today was just not our day 6. I am glad we played real hard, but the opposite team played really good cricket.
2. Tell players, especially the newer national players, to leave lowering the flag ceremony at Wagah to the 'professional soldiers'. Just as the 'professional soldiers' and the rest of the country leaves the cricket battles to 'professional cricketers'. After one good performance when you have the urge to travel to wagah and insert yourself into the military ceremony of lowering of the flag, do not make a clown out of yourself and your team, by jumping up and down there mocking at the soldiers from the other side. Military ceremonies between nations are at least as solemn an occasion as a cricket match, if not more. Accord them their due respect.
3. You are in the national team because you are a cricketer not because you are a heart surgeon. Refrain from comparing the sizes of human hearts based on the religion of the person. You are not qualified enough to make public pronouncements that Hindus have smaller hearts than Muslims, and so their behavior cannot be as virtuous as Muslims.
4. Your primary responsibility when donning the national colors and playing international matches is to play the best cricket for your team, not to ensure that foreign players of non muslim faith also get to reach heaven in the afterlife. Do not get caught by the camera/hot mike requesting a player from another team to 'please embrace islam because once you become muslim all your sins are forgiven and you will be in heaven in the afterlife just by becoming a muslim'. Leave religious conversion to the Muslim scholars/preachers, just as they leave playing cricket to you. Focus on cricket.
It may be a good idea to learn from the former Pakistani greats like Imran Khan, Asif Iqbal, Zaheer Abbas, and others. Were these players any less pious muslims or less accomplished cricketers just because they didn't indulge in such words or actions?
