“Habit Of Getting Beaten By Shoes”: Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul Clarify Stance On ‘Aishwarya Rai’ Comment

Former Pakistan cricket team skipper Shahid Afridi distanced himself from the controversial statement made by his one-time teammate Abdul Razzaq involving Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. During a recent event, Afridi was in attendance along with Razzaq and former Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul. Razzaq criticised Babar Azam and Pakistan’s performance in the Cricket World Cup 2023 where they failed to reach the semifinals after losing five out of their nine matches. During his analysis, Razzaq made a comment where he namedropped Aishwarya but it was not received well by the internet as he was criticised massively. On Tuesday, Afridi made it clear that he was not aware of exactly he was saying on stage and clarified that he will ask Razzaq to apologise.

“I saw the clip when I went home and realised that Abdul Razzaq made a wrong statement. I knew he had a mike in his hand and will say something. He has a habit of getting beaten by shoes. I will just text him to apologize for what he said as it was wrong,” Afridi said.

Shahid Afridi says he will ask Abdul Razzaq to apologize for his comments on Aishwarya Rai. Lala says he didn’t know what Razzaq said at that time but saw the clip once he reached home. Well done, Lala @SAfridiOfficial pic.twitter.com/w9wcf2Lzp2

— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) November 14, 2023

Gul also posted a clarification on the internet regarding the incident and the resulting controversy.

“Dear brother, @SAfridiOfficial bhai and I did not clap in the clip to endorse what Abdul Razzaq said but it was in sarcasm. No1 there appreciated or endorsed what was said by him. It was ethically n morally wrong. Everyone has a different perspective and it’s always wrong to name people who r not even a part of the conversation,” he posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Dear brother, @SAfridiOfficial bhai and I did not clap in the clip to endorse what Abdul Razzaq said but it was in sarcasm. No1 there appreciated or endorsed what was said by him. It was ethically n morally wrong. Everyone has a different perspective and it’s always wrong to name…

— Umar Gul (@mdk_gul) November 14, 2023

The statement in response of the criticism from his fellow ex-Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar.

“I highly condemn the inappropriate joke/comparison made by Razzaq. No woman should be disrespected like this. People seated beside him should have raised their voice right away rather than laughing & clapping,” Akhtar posted on the social media platform X (formerly called Twitter).