Cummins shrugs off Indian journalist query on Rizwan's dedication of win to 'Hamas'
Indian journalist tweaks Rizwan's statement by replacing Palestine with "Hamas"
October 19, 2023
Australia captain Pat Cummins shrugged off a question by an Indian journalist, who wrongly attributed a statement to Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, in a bid to create a controversy.
Rizwan had dedicated the national side's win against Sri Lanka to the Palestinian people to express solidarity amid the ongoing Israeli brutality in Gaza.
However, the Indian journalist tweaked Rizwan's statement by replacing Palestine with "Hamas" while asking Cummin to comment on it.
"Firstly Mickey Arthur made some controversial statement, then we saw Mohammad Rizwan made a controversial statement that he supporting... this victory is dedicated to Hamas. Do you think this all is required on the cricket field," the journalist asked.
However, the journalist failed in his attempt to create a controversy since Cummins didn’t give him the answer that he wanted.
“I love seeing sports people, seeing their personalities brought out as well. So, no hugely strong thoughts either way,” said Cummins.
Other Pakistan cricketers have also voiced their solidarity with Palestine after Israel continued inhumane attacks on innocent Palestinians.
Men cricketers, who are currently in India for the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023, posted Palestine flags on X (formerly Twitter).
All-rounders Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz and leg-spinner Usama Mir shared their support for the innocent Palestinians and hoped for peace.
Pakistan are set to face off against Australia in the Chinaswamy Stadium, Bangalore on Friday (October 20).
The Australian top order are working hard to set things right at the World Cup and a batting-friendly wicket like Bangalore should provide the right platform to score plenty of runs when they play Pakistan tomorrow.
Australia lost their first two matches without crossing 200 runs but won their last game against Sri Lanka to move up to seventh in the standings. However, their top order has failed to get going despite some promising starts.
