New Delhi: A string of poor performances by the Pakistani team in the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India has left fans frustrated. If that’s not enough, fans saw a new low—live on national TV—when former Pakistani pacer and captain Wasim Akram used a casteist slur to describe how he and other presenters were made to look on TV. On social media, many fans and journalists pulled up Akram for his comment, while a few pointed out that caste is endemic to all of South Asia.
Akram was on a show on Pakistan’s ASports channel owned by the ARY Group ahead of the match with Afghanistan. He complained about the working conditions at another channel, whose producers wanted the hosts to be at the stadium an hour before the match—leaving them sweaty and looking like people from a certain caste.
“They say, we want you to cover the game from the ground for 60 to 90 minutes for a live broadcast with a shirt on in 40 degree weather. So, obviously you’ll have sweat patches all over and that looks gross. I am all for people feeling the vibe of being at the venue but talent also has to [look presentable] and we completely look like [casteist slur],” said Akram.
He went on to question why the show’s producers couldn’t understand where he was coming from. “We, as a talent, are looking good here with jackets,” Akram said.
Fans united in criticism
Fans were aghast by his comments. One user on X questioned whether casteism “might be in [the] DNA of South Asians.” Indian journalists, too, weighed in on this.
“Wasim Akram’s casteist comment showed that being good at sports doesn’t guarantee being a good person,” Anil Tiwari, a journalist, posted on X.
One Indian fan called for Akram to be banned from coming to India, while another questioned whether the former captain needed a crash course on caste and if he understood the derogatory nature of his comments. Pakistani fans too weren’t kind to him. One user asked Akram “to educate himself”.
Akram’s frustration
A frustrated Akram vented his ire at the Pakistan cricket team that was humbled by Afghanistan, a former ICC associate member and the joint newest Test nation in the world.
“It was embarrassing today. To reach 280-odd losing just two wickets is pretty big. Wet pitch or not, look at the fielding, the fitness levels,” Akram said on ASports as reported by Hindustan Times.
“We’ve been screaming for the last three weeks that these players haven’t undergone a fitness test in the last two years. If I start taking individual names, their faces will drop. Looks like these guys are eating 8 kilos of mutton every day. Should there not be tests?” Akram added.
The comments on food from sections of Pakistani cricket players and supporters have gained steam in the past few days, after Pakistani opener Imam-ul-Haq Sunday claimed that they need to eat “more protein” over carbs to hit more sixes.
This is Afghanistan’s first win in ODI cricket against Pakistan in their eighth attempt. Akram’s fury was not just against the players but also aimed at the Pakistan Cricket Board, highlighting that there have been no training camps at the Lahore-based centre in the past eight months.