Shoaib Akhtar voices strong criticism against Abdul Razzaq's comment on Aishwarya Rai, slams Umar Gul, Shahid Afridi as well

Former Pakistan cricketer Abdul Razzaq is facing backlash after making controversial comments about Indian actress Aishwarya Rai during a recent event discussing the performance of the Pakistan cricket team. A viral clip of Razzaq's remarks has ignited a social media storm, with Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul seen laughing and clapping in response, adding further controversy. 

While Indian audiences have condemned these derogatory comments, criticism has also arisen from Pakistani fans and former cricketers namely Shoaib Akhtar. 

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The incident occurred during media scrutiny of Pakistan's performance in the ICC ODI Men's World Cup 2023, where Razzaq used an inappropriate example to criticize the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

"Younis Khan had good intentions as a captain and it gave me the confidence to perform better. Everyone over here is talking about the intention and Pakistan’s team. Actually, we don’t have good intentions to develop and polish players in Pakistan. If you think that marrying Aishwarya Rai, a good and pious kid would be wrong, it would never happen," he said.

Now, Shoaib Akhtar has criticized the three former cricketers on X (formerly known as Twitter). He said, "I highly condemn the inappropriate joke/comparison made by Razzaq. No woman should be disrespected like this. People seated beside him should have raised their voice right away rather than laughing & clapping".

The trio has been receiving extensive criticism on social media, with Afridi even stating that he will urge Razzaq to apologize for his inappropriate remarks.

"I saw the clip when I went home and realized that Abdul Razzaq made a wrong statement. I knew he had a mike in his hand and will say something. He has a habit of getting beaten by shoes. I will just text him to apologize for what he said as it was wrong," Afridi said on a Pakistan news channel.

On another note, Umar Gul has come under intense scrutiny for his conduct following Abdul's unconventional statement, even though the ex-fast bowler clarified that the contentious remarks were 'ethically and morally wrong.'

Replying to a fan after being criticised, Gul wrote on social media, "Dear brother, @SAfridiOfficial bhai and I did not clap in the clip to endorse what Abdul Razzaq said but it was in sarcasm. No 1 there appreciated or endorsed what was said by him. It was ethically and morally wrong. Everyone has a different perspective and it’s always wrong to name people who r not even a part of the conversation."

In the meantime, under Babar Azam's captaincy, Pakistan fell short of qualifying for the ODI World Cup 2023 semifinals, securing the fifth spot with only four wins out of nine games.