KARACHI: Pakistan cricket chief Najam Sethi Thursday played down allegations that the national team’s star pacer Hasan Ali overstepped the mark during an appearance at the border where he squared off with Indian soldiers.
The viral video of the 24-year-old pacer at the main border crossing at Wagah in Pakistan’s Punjab province over the weekend sent shockwaves through social media in the subcontinent.
During the incident Ali puffed out his chest mimicking gestures made by Pakistani border guards and also slapped his thigh while staring down Indian security forces, a gesture he often does on the pitch after taking a wicket.
The performance was largely cheered by Pakistani cricket fans but drew protests from Indian users who slammed the display as jingoistic.
“No bro, just no. Use your platform to do something constructive, not spread hate!” one Indian fan tweeted.
However, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Sethi played down Hasan’s antics, dismissing attempts to politicize the incident.
“Our national cricket teams always go to the Wagah Border for the flag lowering ceremony,” Sethi told Pakistan media.
“It’s unfortunate that social media has given it a political color, what he did he usually does after taking a wicket.”
Hasan became the top-ranked one-day international bowler in global rankings last year following his 13 wickets in Pakistan’s Champions Trophy triumph in England.
He has so far played two Tests, 20 one-day international and 16 Twenty20s.
During the same ceremony at the border, senior batsman Azhar Ali offered more conciliatory gestures, saying he hoped for eventual peace between the arch-rivals — who have not played a bilateral series since January 2013.
“Peace is the way forward,” tweeted the batsman along with a picture, where he posed with Indian and Pakistan forces at Wagah.
India-Pakistan ties, including sports and cultural contacts, plummeted after the 2008 militant attacks in Mumbai, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistani militant groups.
Delhi has suspended most bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan since 2008, with high-profile cricket tours bearing the brunt of the moratorium.
They have, however, continued to play each other in multinational events like the World Cup.
Pakistan cricket chief plays down star’s antics at India border
Pakistan cricket chief plays down star’s antics at India border
Egypt switches off Liverpool after Salah fallout
- Liverpool games once drew wall-to-wall crowds in Cairo whenever Salah was playing
- Manager Arne Slot left Egyptian star on the bench for three consecutive games
CAIRO: At a cafe in a bustling Cairo neighborhood, Liverpool games once drew wall-to-wall crowds, but with Mohamed Salah off the pitch, his Egyptian fans would now rather play cards or quietly doomscroll than watch the Reds play.
Salah, one of the world’s greatest football stars, delivered an unusually sharp rebuke of manager Arne Slot after he was left on the bench for three consecutive games.
Adored by fans as the “Egyptian king,” Salah told reporters he had been “thrown under the bus” by the club he has called home for seven-and-a-half years.
The outburst divided Liverpool fans worldwide — but in the Cairo cafe, people knew what side they were on, and Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Inter Milan went unnoticed.
“We’re upset, of course,” said Adel Samy, 40, a longtime Salah fan, who remembers the cafe overflowing with fans whenever he was playing.
On Tuesday evening, only a handful of customers sat at rickety tables — some hunched over their phones, others shuffling cards, barely glancing at the screen.
“He doesn’t deserve what’s happening,” Samy said.
Islam Hosny, 36, who helps run the family cafe, said the street outside used to be packed with “people standing on their feet more than those who sat on chairs” whenever Salah played.
“The cafe would be as full as an Ahly-Zamalek derby,” he said, referring to Egypt’s fiercest football rivalry.
“Now because they know he’s not playing, no one comes.”
At a corner table, a customer quietly asks staff to switch to another match.
‘Time to leave’
Since joining the Merseyside team in 2017, Salah has powered the club’s return to the top of European football, inspiring two Premiere League titles, a Champions League triumph and victories at FA Cup, League Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
With 250 goals in 420 appearances, he is Liverpool’s third-highest goalscorer of all time, and for Egyptians, the country’s greatest sporting export.
But this season, Salah has struggled for form, scoring five goals in 19 appearances as Liverpool have won just five of their last 16 matches in all competitions, slipping to eighth in the Champions League with 12 points.
At the cafe in the Shoubra neighborhood of Cairo, the sense of disillusionment gripped fans.
“Cristiano Ronald, Messi and all players go through dips,” said Mohamed Abdelaziz, 40, but they still play.
Shady Hany, 18, shook his head. “How can a player like Mohamed Salah sit on the bench for so long?” he said.
“It is time for Salah to leave.”
Slot said on Monday he had “no clue” whether Salah would play for Liverpool again.
Salah, due to join Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations after next weekend’s home match against Brighton, has around 18 months remaining on the £400,000-a-week contract he signed in April.
Egyptian sports pundit Hassan Khalafallah believes Salah’s motivations lie elsewhere.
“If he cared that much about money, he would have accepted earlier offers from Gulf clubs,” he said.
“What matters to Salah is his career and his legacy.”
Salah’s journey from the Nile Delta village of Nagrig to global stardom at Anfield has inspired millions.
His rise is a classic underdog story — starting at Egypt’s El Mokawloon, moving to Switzerland’s Basel, enduring a tough spell at Chelsea, finding form at AS Roma and ultimately becoming one of the Premier League’s greatest players.
“Salah is an Egyptian star we are all proud of,” said Hany.
