Former Indian cricketer-turned commentator Aakash Chopra has come out in support of Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez after the latter was reprimanded by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for questioning the tainted Sharjeel Khan's fitness and his return to competitive cricket.
It was all started when Hafeez on Saturday questioned PCB's decision to offer Sharjeel another chance to play for the country after having completed a two-and-a-half-year ban for his role in the spot-fixing scandal in the 2017 Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Read Also: PCB CEO Wasim Khan critical of Hafeez over comments questioning Sharjeel's return
Sharjeel was banned for five years by the PCB, but it was suspended back in August 2019 after an "unconditional apology", paving way for the southpaw to make his comeback to cricket through PSL.
Well, it was not tainted batsman’s form but his shoddy fitness has become the reason for criticism for the cricketer as he could muster just 199 runs in 10 games in the recent PSL 2020.
Meanwhile, Hafeez was asked by a fan on Twitter about the same and the veteran said, “Shouldn’t we set Standards of Dignity & Pride Higher than any other “Extra Talent” to represent Pakistan.”
The remark by all-rounder didn’t really go down well with the PCB as the board’s Chief Operating Officer Wasim Khan lambasted Hafeez for the same, saying he should be "focusing on his own game" instead of criticizing fellow players or making comments on the PCB's policies on social media.
He was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo: “Current players should not be going up on social media to criticize other players or talk about what policies the cricket board should or shouldn’t have. They can have their opinions about various things about world cricket and cricket in general but not about the rights and wrongs of players and the boards and they should leave that to cricket board to answer.”
However, former Indian cricketer took to Twitter and extended his support to Hafeez while insisting the veteran all-rounder made a relevant point on the issue.
Chopra was quoted saying by Pak Passion, “Let Hafeez speak he’s making a good point. These days, people don’t speak out on this topic, which is an issue. He’s talking sense & asked a very simple question that what’s more important, dignity or special talent #Cricket.”
Noteworthy, Hafeez had previously also expressed his reservation at the inclusion of tainted cricketers in the Pakistani set-up, as he along with Azhar Ali had opted out of the training session to protest against Mohammad Amir’s inclusion to the national side.
(With ESPNCricinfo Inputs)
