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Former Pakistan head coach Mohammad Hafeez has been facing the wrath of the Internet for meeting Zakir Naik.
Former Pakistan head coach Mohammad Hafeez at a restaurant with Zakir Naik.
Former Pakistan cricketer and head coach Mohammad Hafeez has landed in hot water after meeting controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, who is wanted by Indian authorities on charges of alleged money laundering and inciting extremism through hate speeches. Hafeez even shared pictures from their meeting on social media, but the Internet was far from impressed.
One social media user, while reacting to the pictures, wrote, “No wonder why your cricket is going down the drain.”
“This is one of the reasons why the Indian cricket team and the Indian government do not want to come to Pakistan… He is a fugitive from the indian police,” said another. A third quoted the former all-rounder’s social media post and expressed, “I’m beginning to dislike Hafeez more and more.”
Mohammad Hafeez’s social media post
“Pleasure meeting with Zakir Naik,” wrote Hafeez while sharing pictures on social media. One picture shows Hafeez, dressed in brown kurta pajama, standing next to Naik, while another shows the two seated at a restaurant, with Hafeez casually sporting a T-shirt. The post, however, didn’t sit well with the Internet.
Social media reactions
While many cricket fans were unhappy with the former cricketer for posing with a fugitive, some reminded him of his own recent remarks, where he questioned the legacy of Pakistan’s star-studded 1990s team for failing to win multiple ICC tournaments despite their talent.
“90s legends zindabad. How many WCPS have you won for Pakistan, sir?” asked one social media user.
Another chimed in, “Did he speak so much truth on TV after meeting Zakir Naik?”
“No wonder Wasim Waqar couldn’t inspire him growing up, he was seeking inspiration somewhere else!” posted a third.
Some also used the moment to justify why the Indian team refuses to tour Pakistan for matches. “This is exactly why India doesn’t visit Pakistan…,” wrote one social media user while quoting the post.
Another joined, “Hi David Miller, you wanted the Indian team to play in a country where their former players are meeting and glorifying wanted criminals? FYI: The person here is Zakir Naik, who has charges of terror financing, hate speech, inciting communal hatred, and money laundering, in India authorities.”
For the unversed, David Miller has openly slammed the schedule of the Champions Trophy 2025as India refused to travel to Pakistan for the tournament. Therefore, teams who were playing India had to travel between the cities in Pakistan and Dubai to play the matches.
Mohammad Hafeez slammed 90s Pakistan cricket team
“I am a huge fan of those who played in the 1990s but when it comes to legacy, they left nothing for Pakistan. They didn’t win an ICC event – they lost the (World Cups of) 1996, 1999 and 2003. We reached one final (in the 1999 World Cup) and lost that badly,” said Hafeez on OutSide Edge Live, where he was joined by Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, and Sana Mir on the panel.
“As stars, as players, they were the mega superstars. But then they couldn’t inspire us by winning an ICC event. Then came a difficult period that we had to go through and then in 2007 we lost the final (of the T20 World Cup). In 2009 we won under Younis Khan’s captaincy and so there was an inspiration for the next generation. Then unfortunately a bad incident happened with Pakistan cricket and we have still not been able to recover from that. Then we won the 2017 Champions Trophy, that was a huge source of inspiration. People idolise Babar Azam today and that is because even if he didn’t play a big hand in that event, he was there,” he added.
In response, Shoaib Malik said, “These 73 one-dayers that Pakistan won against India, it is us who won it.”
