Conspiracy theories are not new to the subcontinent. There have been constant rants of match-fixing from the fans in the past when their team loses in a crucial match. Indian cricket fans, however, have more faith in their team and have actually matured in recent times. The same can’t be said about Pakistani fans at present.
It is however much more shocking when such comments come from past cricketer and a legend bowler like Waqar Younis. In a tweet on 1st July, a day after India was defeated by England by 31 runs after posting a big total of 337/7, Pakistani ex fast bowler Waqar Younis hinted that Indian team lost the match intentionally to ensure Pakistani exit from the world cup.
Shocking tweet from Waqar Younis
In the tweet, he writes, ” it’s not who you are, What you do in life defines who you are, Me not bothered if Pakistan gets to the semis or not but one thing is for sure Sportsmanship of few Champions got tested and they failed badly”.
What is worth noting here is that he actually puts a question on the sportsmanship of few champions, an apparent reference to the Indian team. He is not talking about a bad day or a bad performance by the Indian team. This is a clear insinuation that the Indian team lost to England with clear intention to ensure that Pakistan does not qualify for the semifinals of the world cup.
India England match was important for Pakistan
It has been a rollercoaster ride for the Pakistani team in this world cup. While it has defeated strong teams like England and New Zealand, it also lost to weaker teams like West Indies. The defeat has also been with a wide margin which has not helped the net run rate.
Pakistan needed India to defeat England to bolster their chances of making it to the semifinal of the world cup. They, in fact, were supporting team India openly. Unfortunately for the Pakistani fans, England prevailed and their chances of making it to semi-final tanked. They can still make it to the semi-finals but the chances are very slim now.
On the other side India is still not through to the semi-finals. They need to win at least one of their matches against Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. It is quite inconceivable why India will miss a chance to top the table by losing a match with England. But who can convince a cricket fan. Former cricketers however should actually show some maturity though.
Some funny responses to his comments were also noteworthy
Someone compared the Indian fight with England to Pakistani fight with terrorism!
This was harsh!
Indian fans, however, have been witty in their response to the Pakistani fans and Waqar Younis allegations. But they never questioned their team, Dhoni and Kuldeep however, have been criticized for their lack of intent in the match against England.
India though is looking strong and this one defeat aside look good to qualify to the semi-finals. They still are one of the top contenders for the world cup 2019.
