Waqar Younis has apologised on Twitter for his religious comments after Mohammad Rizwan decided to offer Namaz after Pakistan beat India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Younis had said Rizwan reading Namaz in front of the Hindus impressed him a lot. His comments received a lot of backlash on Twitter and he has finally apologised for his comments.
“Rizwan offered Namaz during the match in the middle of Hindus was very special for me,” Younis was quoted as saying by Arya News.
Waqar Younis took to Twitter and said: “In the heat of the moment, I said something which I did not mean which has hurt the sentiments of many. I apologise for this, this was not intended at all, genuine mistake. Sports unites people regardless of race, colour or religion.”
Waqar Younis Issues Apology For Controversial Comments
In the heat of the moment, I said something which I did not mean which has hurt the sentiments of many. I apologise for this, this was not intended at all, genuine mistake. Sports unites people regardless of race, colour or religion. #apologies 🙏🏻
— Waqar Younis (@waqyounis99) October 26, 2021
This was after Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle targeted him for saying anti-religious comments. In a series of tweets, Bhogle said how sports should not be connected to any religious sentiments and how Waqar Younis did exactly the same.
For a person of Waqar Younis’ stature to say that watching Rizwan offering namaz in front of Hindus was very special to him, is one of the most disappointing things I have heard. A lot of us try hard to play such things down and talk up sport and to hear this is terrible” said Bhogle in a tweet.
In another tweet, Bhogle said he is expecting the former Pakistan skipper to make an apology sooner rather than later which now has finally happened.
“You would think that cricketers, as ambassadors of our game, would be a little more responsible. I am sure there will be an apology on the way from Waqar. We need to unite the cricket world, not divide it by religion” said Bhogle.
Meanwhile, Pakistan have won their first two games in group B of ICC T20 World Cup 2021 having beaten India and New Zealand. They now have games against Afghanistan, Namibia and Scotland to follow.