Nobel Laureate, Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan came up with a light-hearted jibe at an Indian unit represented by former India cricketer Anil Kumble and Bollywood star Farhan Akhtar during the opening ceremony of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
The opening ceremony of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup was held on May 29 in London, with former cricketers and famous personalities of participating countries in attendance.
Representing India was Bollywood producer and actor Farhan Akhtar and former Test captain Anil Kumble. The two, however, stood last in a 60-second challenge where the representatives of participating nations had to score the maximum number of runs in a minute.
Meanwhile, Pakistan, represented by human rights activist Malala Yousafzai and cricketer Azhar Ali, finished second from the bottom.
Meanwhile, after the game, when the host Shibani Dandekar asked Malala Yousafzai about the performance of her team, she took a dig at India. “Pakistan, we were okay, not too bad. We came seventh. But at least we were not last like India,” she said.
“I have been a big fan of cricket since my childhood. Used to play it on the streets, on rooftops. And also, I still remember fighting with my brothers to let me play even if I get out. This sport connects people from different backgrounds, different cultures. It is uniting people from different countries.”
The comment which was made in the witty remark was not accepted by everyone in the right spirit, as some people on Twitter were calling it a display of “hate towards India”.
Meanwhile, the much-awaited encounter between India and Pakistan is scheduled on June 16 in Manchester. However, India has an upper hand over Pakistan in World Cup clashes, as Men in Blue have defeated Pakistan in all the six games.
Here are a few tweets:
https://twitter.com/ronit_tak/status/1134049323971334144
Mala representing #Pakistan at #CWC19 opening ceremony. pic.twitter.com/poV7cBzPay
— Pakistan Cricket (@pak_freaks) May 29, 2019
Pakistan which gave bullets to .@Malala is still prioritized by her n India which admired her courage n supported her uninhibited gets condemned by her!This is d true nationalism n a lesson for all those living in India who condemn d nation even 4 perceived threats. Kudos to her! https://t.co/gHKntxPVYW
— Adv. Somnath Bharti: इंसानियत से बड़ा कुछ नहीं! (@attorneybharti) May 30, 2019
https://twitter.com/b_wantamutte/status/1133944062057205760
https://twitter.com/TrulyMonica/status/1134011334155096065
https://twitter.com/akkiakki973798/status/1134008924355538944
Beti of pakistan,who is still afraid of going back to pakistan, is praising pakistan! India is rising in every way possible! U try to focus on ur country madam alrdy losing everythng, try to get back to ur peacful country if u r so proud of that?
— Anshul ??♀️ (@HeyAnshul) May 30, 2019