Whenever India and Pakistan meet on the cricketing field, emotions run high. After the match is over, these emotions of losing side's fans turn into anger. With Pakistani fans, another defeat of their team against India at the World Cup was bound to generate great reaction. After suffering their seventh loss in as many matches to India at ODI cricket's most prestigious event, the Pakistani team is facing the ire of their countrymen on the cybersphere.
One of the most criticised figures in the Pak team is the veteran middle order batsman Shoaib Malik. The right-hander is enduring a forgettable World Cup and was dismissed for a first-ball duck against India. He had also been dismissed for zero in the previous match against Australia and a single digit score in the game before that.
Not only are his performances and his place in the team being questioned, a video has become viral on social media, showing the former captain with his wife, Indian tennis player Sania Mirza, at a restaurant in London where some members of the group are also smoking hookah.
Shoaib Malik of the #pakistancricketteam at midnight, hours before the most crucial match of the #CricketWorldCup2019 In Curry Mile In a Shisha cafe. Add the burgers and deserts, no wonder they performed dismally at Old Trafford. They should be ashamed. Every single one of them. pic.twitter.com/Dr8gHWdF9M
— Mohammed Shafiq (@mshafiquk) June 16, 2019
Many are claiming that this video was shot on the eve of the match and are using it to claim a lack of commitment and hard work on part of the cricketer. Malik's wife Mirza waded into the debate and put out an enraged tweet against the person who uploaded the video.
The tennis star wrote: "That's the video you shot without asking us, disrespecting our privacy even though we had a child with us? And got told off for doing so, and you came up with this crap? FYI 'outing' was dinner & yes people are allowed to eat if they lose a match! Bunch of fools! Try better content next time."
#Pakistan cricket fans say they saw Shoaib Malik & others smoking Shisha at 2am on Wilmslow Road, few hours before match against India.@TheRealPCB @ImranKhanPTI #IndiavsPakistan #PakvsInd #IndvsPak #CWC19 #Manchester pic.twitter.com/ODfyrEHkJF
— Ali Javed (@AliJaved24) June 17, 2019
The account which uploaded this video seems to have been deactivated. However, the video has now entered the stream of cybersphere and is circulating wildly. It got even more traction after the match when it was used to further target Malik.
There were, in fact, two clips of the star couple and their friends at the restaurant serving hookah. Another video shows some Pakistani fans claiming that the two were at the mall where this restaurant is, till 2 AM in the morning, on the eve of the match. Malik has already announced his retirement from international cricket after the World Cup. For all we know, his career may be already finished.
