World Cup 2023: Complaint Filed Against Pakistan Cricketer Mohammad Rizwan for Offering Namaz on Field

A complaint against Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Rizwan has been filed with the International Cricket Council (ICC) for offering namaz on the cricket field during a match of the ODI World Cup 2023 currently underway in India.

The complainant named Vineet Jindal who is an advocate in the Supreme Court of India has written to the ICC says Rizwan offered namaz during Pakistan’s world cup match against the Netherlands in Hyderabad which “raises questions about the spirit of the match”.

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“This is a complaint about Pakistan Cricket Player, Mohammad Rizwan, who was seen offering namaz on the cricket field during his team’s opening match of the ongoing ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 on Friday (October 6) against the Netherlands in Hyderabad,” reads the complaint filed by the advocate to ICC chairman Greg Barclay.

“The act of Mohammad Rizwan when he read namaz on the cricket field amid many Indians is symbolic of the intentional depiction of his religion which stands against the spirit of the sports,” it added.

The lawyer wrote that Rizwan ‘purposefully’ depicted his religion which defeats the spirit of sports.

“This very act of the player raises questions about the spirit of the match and raises a question of the ideology, the player follows while playing the match. The act of displaying his religion by Mohammed Rizwan purposefully depicts his intent to message that he is a Muslim, defeating the spirit of sports. Rizwan was seen offering prayers amid the field while his teammates were waiting for the drinks during the break,” the complaint read.

“The act of representation of his religion by Mohammed Rizwan in the field and further followed by his statement in his press conference regarding the dedication of his victory to the people of Gaza further attests to his religious and political ideology,” it said.

This is the second complaint that has been field against Rizwan after he courted controversy with his post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) in which he dedicated his match-winning century against Sri Lanka to the people of Gaza.