Indian lawyer Vineet Jindal has filed a complaint to the International Cricket Council (ICC) against Pakistan wicket-keeper batter Muhammad Rizwan for offering Namaz on the field.
Vineet Jindal — the same lawyer who filed a complaint against Pakistan presenter Zainab Abbas over her eight-year-old Tweet — sought legal action against the right-handed batter for offering Namaz on the field and voicing support for Gaza.
Muhammad Rizwan is known to offer his prayers wherever he gets the chance.
During a break in match between Pakistan and Netherlands, the wicket-keeper batter was seen offering Namaz in the middle of the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad.
Rizwan had dedicated his century to the people of Gaza after his match-winning century against Sri Lanka earlier in the ICC World Cup 2023.
This act of Rizwan caused an uproar in Indian media but ICC decided to take no action, since it was done outside the field in his personal capacity.
“This is a complaint about Pakistan Cricket Player, Muhammad Rizwan, who was seen offering namaz on the cricket field during his team’s opening match of the ongoing ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 on Friday (October 6) against the Netherlands in Hyderabad,” Vineet Jindal said in his complaint addressed to ICC Chairman Greg Barclay.
“The act of Muhammad Rizwan when he read namaz on the cricket field amid many Indians is symbolic of the intentional depiction of his religion which stands against the spirit of the sports,” he said.
“This very act of the player raises questions about the spirit of the match and raises a question of the ideology, the player follows while playing the match. The act of displaying his religion by Muhammed Rizwan purposefully depicts his intent to message that he is a Muslim, defeating the spirit of sports. Rizwan was seen offering prayers amid the field while his teammates were waiting for the drinks during the break.” the lawyer argued.
“The act of representation of his religion by Muhammad Rizwan in the field and further followed by his statement in his press conference regarding the dedication of his victory to the people of Gaza further attests to his religious and political ideology,” he added.
It is pertinent to mention here that Vineet Jindal previously filed a complaint against Pakistani presenter Zainab Abbas for alleged “anti-Hindu” statements, resulting in her leaving India and issuing an apology.