New Delhi: Former Pakistani cricketer Abdul Razzaq has stirred a huge controversy after his over-the-line remarks on the current Pakistani head coach Mickey Arthur.
The statement was made on a Pakistani TV debate show after Pakistan suffered their eighth consecutive ODI World Cup defeat against the Indian cricket team on Saturday.
Abdul Razzaq’s statement
Abdul Razzaq was one of the panellists in the debate show, and upon being asked about Mickey Arthur’s statement post-match, Razzaq compared Mickey with late Pakistani coach Bob Woolmer.
Razzaq said, “Mickey Arthur will meet the same fate as the late Pakistani coach Bob Woolmer upon his return to Pakistan,” he also stated that whoever is responsible for the loss of Pakistan, should resign and leave on their own rather than try to come up with excuses for the loss.
Former Pakistani Cricketer Abdul Razzaq says what happened with Bob Woolmer will happen again.
Is there a threat to current Pakistani coach Mickey Arthur’s @Mickeyarthurcr1 life?
If something happens to Mickey Arthur during the tournament, then entire Pakistan Team should be… pic.twitter.com/8EU9R5jdpI
— Incognito (@Incognito_qfs) October 15, 2023
Razzaq seemingly looked frustrated by the Pakistan team’s body language and intent of play against the men in blue and blamed the coach, Mickey Arthur, for Pakistan’s underwhelming performance.
The host of the debate can be seen visibly uncomfortable by Abdul Razzaq’s remark and even requested everyone on the panel not to make things controversial.
Who was Bob Woolmer?
.@yousaf1788 reflects on his memories of former Pakistan head coach Bob Woolmer on his death anniversary. pic.twitter.com/WgmL3Y44ce
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) March 18, 2022
Robert Andrew Woolmer, also known as Bob Woolmer, was an English cricketer, coach and commentator who was born in India but played his entire career as an English player, although his father, Clearance Woolmer, played cricket in India for the United Provinces (Now known as Uttar Pradesh) in the Ranji Trophy, however, Bob considered himself a true Englishman and represented the England cricket team in 19 test matches and 6 ODI’s before turning to a coach.
Bob was the coach of the South African cricket team that won the 1998 ICC Knockout trophy, which to this day remains South Africa’s only ICC trophy victory.
Bob was coaching the Pakistan cricket team before his tragic demise in 2007.
How did Bob Woolmer die?
Whether he passed away naturally or was murdered cannot be determined with certainty due to the lack of evidence of the case. The original assessment was that he had been manually strangled and asphyxiated. Following a thorough investigation, it was determined that the man died naturally, and toxicology testing revealed no signs of poisoning.
It was thought that Woolmer had diabetes and heart issues. But because to errors in the toxicological report, another hearing was held that year in November. This time, the court remained undecided and did not disprove the theory of strangulation. Consequently, the case is still unsolved.
Mickey Arthur’s remarks after the loss
After Pakistan’s demoralizing loss against the Indian cricket team, the Pakistani head coach took a dig at BCCI in the post-match conference by saying that it felt like more of a BCCI event than an ICC event as there was only support for the Indian team and no support or encouragement towards the Pakistani team.
Really Mickey? 🫠
Mickey: “It didn’t seem like an ICC event. It seemed like a BCCI event.”
Question: “Is that right for the World Cup?”
Mickey: “I don’t want to get fined.”#MickeyArthur #INDvsPAK #INDvPAK #PakistanCricketTeam #icccricketworldcup2023 #CWC23 #IndiaVsPakistan pic.twitter.com/nASogxdRTm
— Cricopia.com (@cric_opia) October 15, 2023
Arthur’s comments did not sit well with many cricket experts, including experts from Pakistan, who believed that Arthur was only making excuses and diverting people’s attention away from Pakistan’s disappointing performance.
Wasim Akram and Moin Khan didn’t like Pakistan Team Director Mickey Arthur’s statement that It didn’t seem like an ICC event.
Do you agree with them?pic.twitter.com/UW0qXqKE69
— Tanveer Hassan (@tanveercric56_) October 15, 2023
