Waqar Younis posted a tweet to make an apology and also accepted his mistake on air.
Former Pakistan skipper Waqar Younis has apologized for his comment on Mohammad Rizwan offering namaz "in front of Hindus" during Sunday's (October 24) India vs Pakistan encounter in the 2021 T20 World Cup. It didn't go down well with fans and even the cricket fraternity slammed him for bringing religion into sports.
"The manner in which Babar and Rizwan batted, the strike-rotation, the look on their faces, it was amazing. The best thing, what Rizwan did, Mashalla, he offered the Namaz on the ground surrounded by Hindus, that was really something very special for me," Waqar had said.
After the outrage on social media, Waqar accepted his mistake and wrote that sports unites people regardless of race, color, or religion and he's sorry for hurting the sentiments of fans.
"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," the tweet read.
Waqar also made it clear on air that he was excited after Pakistan's victory over India and he might have used wrong words which hurt many viewers. "I never meant it, it was a game, and it was the heat of the moment, I apologize," he said.
Pakistan had defeated India by 10 wickets in Dubai and it was a historic win for them as they beat their arch-rivals for the first time in an ICC World Cup tournament.