Pakistani batter Ahmed Shehzad has publicly criticized wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan. Shehzad accused Rizwan of using religion to deflect attention from his poor performance in the recently concluded T20 World Cup. Rizwan had claimed to be an ambassador of Islam during a press conference on July 2, which sparked widespread discussion.
Rizwan’s Comment on Islam
During a press conference in Peshawar, Rizwan addressed questions about his and the Pakistani team’s poor performance in the T20 World Cup. Rizwan stated:
“I believe a person represents two things. If someone is a Muslim, they represent Islam wherever they go. Secondly, they are an ambassador for Pakistan. It doesn’t matter what anyone says.”
In response, Shehzad accused Rizwan of diverting attention from his poor performance by playing the “religion card.” In a lengthy post on social media, Shehzad expressed his disappointment, stating:
“It is quite disappointing that some players hide their poor World Cup performance behind unnecessary press conferences and the religion card. Where does religion go when they lie about their fitness and act on the field? Does religion teach you to deceive and lie to others? You are paid to play, yet you create factions within the team. Religion teaches us to fulfill our responsibilities with dedication. Some people want these players to get another chance. But why? This is Pakistan’s team, not their home team where they can play as they wish. They can form their own team and play with their friends if they want another chance. But they can no longer play for Pakistan’s team.”
Shehzad also called for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to take strict action against such players. Previously, Shehzad had appealed to the PCB to remove all senior players from the team. In the T20 World Cup, Mohammad Rizwan scored only 110 runs, with a strike rate of just 91.
