'It’s just not cricket': Chaudhry wants ICC action against Indian team for wearing army caps

Published March 9, 2019
Indian cricket team members are seen wearing camouflage army caps during the third ODI match between India and Australia at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association International Cricket Stadium, in Ranchi on Friday. — AFP
Indian cricket team members are seen wearing camouflage army caps during the third ODI match between India and Australia at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association International Cricket Stadium, in Ranchi on Friday. — AFP

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to take action against the Indian cricket team for "politicising" the game by donning camouflage army caps during their third One-Day International (ODI) match against Australia on Friday.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had announced earlier today that the Indian team will be wearing the caps during the match "as [a] mark of tribute to the loss of lives in Pulwama terror attack and the armed forces".

Read: Kashmir bomber radicalised after beating by troops, parents say

“It’s just not Cricket,” Chaudhry tweeted in the evening, adding that by wearing the caps, the Indian team had politicised the Gentleman's Game. India were beaten in the match by 32 runs, with opener Usman Khawaja's maiden ODI century and incisive bowling helping Australia.

The minister urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to lodge a formal protest against India with the sport's world governing body.

Analyse: That’s not cricket

And if the Indian team does not stop wearing the caps, the Pakistan team "should [also] wear black bands to remind The World about Indian atrocities in [occupied] Kashmir", Chaudhry wrote.

Many in Pakistan, including journalist Owais Tohid, echoed similar views.

"Sad to see war hysteria in Indian cricket team with great players like @imVkohli & @msdhoni leading it," Tohid said in a tweet.

He pointed out that millions of young players in the sub-continent idealise Indian cricket stars such as Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. "Heroes shouldn’t act like losers," he added.

Mazhar Abbas, another senior journalist, termed the decision to wear the camouflage caps the "militarisation of Indian cricket".

"Sports can defuse tension but not like this. Don't [drag] cricketers in[to] politics."

The development comes as Pakistan and India reel from two weeks of high tension which had raised fears of an all-out war. The situation de-escalated after Pakistan released an Indian pilot who was captured after his plane was shot down for violating Pakistani airspace.

Opinion

Editorial

Rigging claims
Updated 04 May, 2024

Rigging claims

The PTI’s allegations are not new; most elections in Pakistan have been controversial, and it is almost a given that results will be challenged by the losing side.
Gaza’s wasteland
04 May, 2024

Gaza’s wasteland

SINCE the start of hostilities on Oct 7, Israel has put in ceaseless efforts to depopulate Gaza, and make the Strip...
Housing scams
04 May, 2024

Housing scams

THE story of illegal housing schemes in Punjab is the story of greed, corruption and plunder. Major players in these...
Under siege
Updated 03 May, 2024

Under siege

Whether through direct censorship, withholding advertising, harassment or violence, the press in Pakistan navigates a hazardous terrain.
Meddlesome ways
03 May, 2024

Meddlesome ways

AFTER this week’s proceedings in the so-called ‘meddling case’, it appears that the majority of judges...
Mass transit mess
03 May, 2024

Mass transit mess

THAT Karachi — one of the world’s largest megacities — does not have a mass transit system worth the name is ...