Offer prayers instead of doing push-ups after victory!: PCB bars players from doing the famous celebration
Dec 24, 2018 at 12:55 PM
The four-match Test series between England and Pakistan earlier this year witnessed some very high-quality cricket. The series was fought fiercely and had a fitting end as the series ended 2-2. But more than the world-class cricket, there was something else that had hogged the limelights during the series. After achieving every milestone during the series, the Pakistani players did a series of push-ups to celebrate.
It all started when Misbah-ul-Haq did a series of push-ups after scoring a century in the first Test of the series at Lords and his team followed suit in the remainder of the series. The Pakistan skipper later said that the celebration was a tribute to the army personnel with whom his team had a practice camp prior to the series.
Fair play to @TheRealPCB who played some excellent cricket and good celebrations too. #EngvPak https://t.co/czkHg2bFsu
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 17, 2016
“We did a camp in Abbottabad before the skill camp in Lahore, and we used to do an honour code every time, we just stepped into the ground and did ten push-ups. And I promised them, if ever I score a hundred, I will definitely do that to remind you that we were there.I did that and everybody wanted to do that. That sends a small tribute to all those army men who were working really hard (with us).” Misbah had said back then.
Well, it seems the celebration has not gone down too well with the lawmakers of the conservative country. As a result, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has barred its player to do the push-ups as a form of celebration in future. PCB Executive Committee Chairman Najam Sethi made informed a National Assembly committee about the decision on Wednesday.
The decision from the cricket board was taken after the politicians raised concerns over the players’ gesture and said that it was creating a negative image for their country.
As quoted in The Dawn, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Rana Muhammad Afzal asked: “Who were Misbah-ul-Haq and other players giving a message to by doing push-ups?”
Another member of the party opined that instead of doing the push-ups, the players would have offered prayers after achieving a milestone.
“It would have been better if the players offered nawafil (special prayers) instead of doing press-ups on the victory”.
In the players’ defense, Sethi said that push-ups were done only during the England series and the cricketers have now stopped doing that.