Former pacer Shoaib Akhtar slammed Pakistani captain Sarfraz Ahmed for his racist comments against South Africa’s Andile Phehlukwayo, only to delete his video later.
The 'Rawalpindi Express' took to his Twitter account on Tuesday and posted a video condemning Ahmed's remarks and urging the skipper to come forward and publicly apologise for it.
"Hey guys it's me Shoaib. Abhi ek badi sad news aayi hai isko maine abhi tak suna nahi hai. Lekin main thode comments sune hain hamare kaptaan ke Sarfaraz ke racist comment pass kar rahe the. I strongly condemn as a Pakistani. Unko aisa bilkul nahi kehna chahiye tha aur mere khayal mein yeh bahot hadd se giri hui baat kardi unhone. I think he should apologise for it and he should publicly apologise for what he said to this guy.
(Hey guys it's me Shoaib. I've just come across very sad news. Although I've not seen the video but I've read comments about our captain's racist comments. I strongly condemn as a Pakistani. He shouldn't have said what he said and I feel he has done a very shameful act. I think he should apologise for it and he should publicly apologise for what he said to this guy)"
Akhtar further added saying:
"Yeh bilkul acceptable nahi hai, as a Pakistani. Mere khayal mein heat of the moment mein ho gaya hai. He should apologise publicly. Itni giri hui baat aur kisi ke colours ke upar baat nahi karni chahiye thi. As a Pakistani captain jo unhone kaha it is totally wrong. Because people are getting inspired by him because he is leading the team as a captain so you should lead the team in terms of saying the right things. So I hope apology will come soon.
(This isn't acceptable behaviour as a Pakistani. I feel his remarks came in the heat of the moment. He should apologise publicly. Commenting about someone's colour is wrong and he shouldn't have done it. As a Pakistani captain, whatever he said is totally wrong. Because people are getting inspired by him because he is leading the team as a captain so you should lead the team in terms of saying the right things. So I hope apology will come soon.)"
Akhtar apparently deleted the video later and Twitterati were quick to call him out.
Shoaib Akhtar condemns Sarfraz Ahmed's racist comments on Andile Phehlukwayo during the ODI match. Good to see someone speaking sensibly from across the border for a change. #PAKvSA #SAvPAKhttps://t.co/uhYAdYzTFZ— Sir Jadeja (@SirJadeja) January 22, 2019
Guess what? Shoaib Akhtar deleted the video condemning Sarfraz Ahmed's racist comments. Pakistan and sensibility don't go hand in hand. #PAKvSA #SAvPAK pic.twitter.com/agTZ3bEnPk— Sir Jadeja (@SirJadeja) January 22, 2019
This is the Nation where no one has “Freedom of speech” and person like @shoaib100mph has no guts or rights to speak against Wrong! #Racism aur #Inhumanity toh inki samajh se bahot door ki baat hai 👎 #SAvPAK— Jay (@zjayzay) January 22, 2019
Upar se order aaya hoga sir ji— Aparna 🇮🇳 (@Jayaa_IND) January 22, 2019
One Twitter user, who had recorded Akhtar's video, shared it on the microblogging site.
here is the full video of shoaib akhtar condemning #SarfarazAhmed #PakVsSA #SAvsPAK pic.twitter.com/NE9ZRcMt2a— Bonkers 😎 (@rahulkpopat) January 22, 2019
To his credit, Akhtar later reuploaded a shorter video urging the Pakistani captain to apologise for his racial abuse.
Sarfraz must explain himself to Media & public regarding his comments to batsman.. pic.twitter.com/Ocx74ry4IW— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) January 23, 2019
During South Africa’s chase, in the 37th over, Phehlukwayo got a lucky break as he inside edged a delivery from Shaheen Afridi to the deep fine leg region for a single.
He was batting on 50 at the time and as he got to the non-striker’s end, Sarfraz's audio was caught on stump mic and he could be heard saying in Urdu, “Abey kaale, teri ammi aaj kahaan baitheen hain? Kya parwa ke aaye hai aaj?”
Translating to, “Hey black guy, where’s your mother sitting today? What has she prayed for your luck?”
(Please Note: This article has been updated with Akhtar's new video)