Legendary pacer Wasim Akram expressed his criticism of Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed’s hostile send-off to Shubman Gill in their high-pressure Champions Trophy match against India on Sunday. The two arch-rivals clashed in Dubai on Sunday in a one-sided affair, with India dominating the Pakistan team easily and sending Mohammad Rizwan and his side packing from the tournament.
In India’s pursuit, Abrar Ahmed had got a well-set Shubman Gill dismissed for 46 with a gem of a delivery. The Indian opener misread the spin and was left bamboozled. But it was Abrar’s send-off after the wicket that led to controversy. Though the dismissal was important, with India at 100/2 in the 17.3 over and in command, Abrar’s send-off didn’t go down well with many, including quite a few former Pakistani cricketers.
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“I was very impressed with the ball, I wasn’t impressed with the celebrations. Time aur jagah hoti hain na yaar (There is time and place for it, buddy). If you are winning, celebrate. When you know, the team is stuck, you get the wicket, be humble. Be Humble. But that’s not happening. There is no one to tell him that,” Akram told Sports Central.
“Celebration killed everything. When you get seven wickets for five runs, I can understand. It doesn’t look nice. I mean it doesn’t even look nice on TV.” – Wasim Akram on Abrar Ahmed’s celebrations (Gill),” he added.
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Akram recognized the brilliance of the bowling but condemned the send-off celebration, as he believed it provided Pakistan with an undue lift when the momentum was so obviously in favor of the Indian team. The cricketing great opined that such a gesture is only warranted when a bowler does something extraordinary, such as taking seven wickets for seven runs.
