An interview of former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq that was conducted in June has taken social media by storm, albeit for wrong reasons. Razzaq and Nida Dar, Pakistan’s women’s cricket team player were a part of a talk show hosted by Nouman Ijaz, excerpts of which have gone viral and created a stir.
During the show, the trio discussed women in sports when Razzaq casually made sexist remarks over Dar’s appearance and future in the sport. When Ijaz asked Dar what she would have chosen as a career, if she had not been a cricketer, to which Dar replied, she still would have opted to become a professional athlete.
To Dar’s reply, Honey Albela laughed and joked, “Do you have some kind of allergy with marriage? You don’t want to talk about it at all.” Wafa Butt, another host of the show then questioned how many sports academies are available for women in the country? “I know there are few at the college level,” Ijaz answered. Dar added, “If some colleges and schools have space, then they do try and incorporate cricket in their extracurricular activities. Girls from rural areas and villages move to the city to play cricket, in hopes to pursue this as a profession.” Butt intervened and asserted, “And then they leave when they get married.”
To which Dar said, “They try to play the sport as much as they can since you never know after the wedding.” “Oh, they don’t get married,” Razzaq quipped. “Their field is as such. When they become cricketers, they strive to be as equal as their male counterparts, if not better than them. They want to prove that not only men, but they can also do it as well. The feeling [to get married] is gone [by the time they excel.” He further added by saying, “If you shake her [Dar] hand, she is anything but feminine.”
Watch the video here
Razzaq is making fun of Nida Dar for looking manly 🤭 pic.twitter.com/ECPBgGdBsp
— Ghumman (@emclub77) July 14, 2021
Dar decided to respond to Razzaq and shared, “Our profession is such that we have to gym. We have to bat, bowl, field. Hence, we have to stay fit.” Cutting her off, Razzaq added, “You can tell by the haircut she has.” Butt questioned, “I had this query for a while. Can you not play cricket with longer hair?” Dar replied, “You absolutely can play with long hair. But for someone who has kept her hair long, it would affect her game.” Ijaz then remarked, “There are certain requirements when it comes to sports. Why can’t one play with a three-piece suit? You have to abide by the need of the sport.”
The clip that went viral on Wednesday did not go down too well with the fans as they did not shy away from criticizing Razzaq for his sexist comments. In a country where women playing sports is still considered taboo, sexist comments from renowned athletes are really not required. These retired players should rather help the current bunch of cricketers rather than harm them. Cheers to Nida Dar for maintaining her cool and staying composed during the show.
Here’s how Twitter reacted
So disgusting all these people literally jumped on her. Can’t even imagine how much sexism our women cricketers go through @CoolNidadar is a star!! https://t.co/iraupnQCsn
— a (@rays_alpha) July 14, 2021
This article is an excerpt of the original article published on Tribune
Razzaq is making fun of Nida Dar for looking manly 🤭 pic.twitter.com/ECPBgGdBsp
— Ghumman (@emclub77) July 14, 2021
Always knew Abdul Razzaq was sexist af. This is despicable. He kept on saying sexist stuff about Nida Dar being “manly” and “inki shaadi nai hoti” & everyone else kept laughing.
This is what our women cricketers have to face constantly in this society. https://t.co/7XRaRC9MMH— Alii (@Bhuut_) July 14, 2021
Abdul Razzaq they player was awesome
Abdul Razzaq post retirement in front of a microphone isn’t
Someone needs to tell him he isn’t funny https://t.co/gwcqfizFHl
— Hasaan Saeed (@HasaanSaeed) July 14, 2021
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.
