New Delhi: Pakistanis appear incapable of holding their own umbrellas—that is the charge many cricket fans in Pakistan are making against presenter Zainab Abbas and former cricketer Aamer Sohail after a picture of them from the ongoing Test match in Multan was shared online.
Abbas shared the picture of herself alongside former English captain Nasser Hussain and Sohail. While Hussain was holding his umbrella, for the other two, someone else was doing the honours. That’s something the fans didn’t let pass. They were quick to notice ‘the difference in mindset’.
“Pakistani elitist mentality in one photo: Pakistanis appear incapable of holding their own umbrellas,” one X user pointed out.
“Zainab doesn’t know how to hold an umbrella, was she never taught as a child?” a user asked sarcastically, while another said, “In Multan, all of a sudden something happened and arms and hands stopped working. very concerning”
Another called it a ‘stark picture of Pakistani conditioning.’
“An Englishman sits, holding his own umbrella, while two Pakistanis struggle, unable to shield themselves. It paints a stark picture of how we’ve been conditioned—crippled by reliance, entitled in our dependence!” the user wrote.
The criticism was sharp, and served with a dose of sarcasm. One user compared them to British royalty Diana & Charles.
“She thinks she is Princess Diana. He thinks he is King Charles. The foreigner holding his umbrella himself while PAK’s Male&Female both r so elite& superior in their mindsets that someone else is standing there to hold umbrellas for King Amir Sohail,Queen Zainab Abbas (sic),” the user wrote.
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Not foreign to controversy
Even PCB was dragged in.
“Very poor management by @TheRealPCB, there should be one person to hold the mic as well, our heroes could get Carpal Tunnel Syndrome due to extended periods of holding the mic. Shame on PCB,” another X user quipped.
Abbas wasn’t spared even though she chose to turn her comments off.
‘Turn off ELITIST & ENTITLED Mindset instead of Comments,” a Pakistani professor pointed out while another wrote, “This is someone that’s traveled the world, studied in England. Mingled with many culture’s yet when she’s back in Pakistan, the elite mindset will remain. The Englishman in the middle can hold his own umbrella. She won’t dare do this abroad, but yes turn your comments off (sic).”
36-year-old Zainab Abbas is a Pakistani sports commentator who was earlier in the eye of a storm after she had to abruptly leave India during the 2023 World Cup following backlash over her old tweets on India.
She is the presenter of the Test series being played in Multan and Rawalpindi. She is also the host for PCB’s PitchSide Studio, for pre- and post-match analysis.