Afghanistan batter Ibrahim Zadran, who guided his team to a sensational victory in their World Cup match against Pakistan on Monday, dedicated his Player of the Match award to the people of his country as well as the Afghans who are being deported from Pakistan.
“I want to dedicate this Man of the Match to that people who were sent from Pakistan to back home Afghanistan (sic),” Zadran said after receiving the award at the post-match presentation.
The remarks by Zadran come in the backdrop of Pakistan asking all undocumented refugees to leave the country by November 1.
The decision has impacted nearly 1.7 million undocumented Afghan refugees living in Pakistan.
The announcement met with severe criticism from the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, with Kabul calling it “unacceptable”.
Zadran’s statement went viral on X, with several users lauding the gesture and some even comparing it to Pakistani wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan’s pro-Palestine statement after their victory against Sri Lanka earlier in the tournament.
The Afghan opener was part of an aggressive 130-run opening stand with Rahmanullah Gurbaz (65), which helped orchestrate Afghanistan’s chase of 283 against an out-of-sort Pakistan’s pace and spin bowling. (Times of India)
