ISLAMABAD: Pakistan cricket authorities have told the International Cricket Council (ICC) their players will not wear or display logos of a whisky brand sponsor in the Super Series matches in October. Alcohol consumption is banned for Muslims in the Islamic state of Pakistan. Five Pakistani players have been picked for provisional ICC World XI test and one-day squads that will play against Australia. “We have informed the ICC that our players will in no manner promote the logos or other promotional material if they are picked in the final World XI squads,” a PCB official told Reuters on Sunday on condition of anonymity.
Captain Inzamam ul-Haq, fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq have been picked in the provisional squads.
Final squads will be announced by the ICC selection committee headed by former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar next month.
*i was just thinking how have they refused to promote alcohol. Just by refusing to wear their logos. *
arent they playing in this tournament and promoting it by contributing. We all know it is sponsored and organized by jonie walker whisky. So i was thinking tht our players by contributing to this tournament are assisting the alcohol company in benefiting. And they are going to get paid for this. So as muslims do we think tht it is permissable?
Not the first time our players are playing in a tournament sponsored by a alcohol company. They have to do alot of things which are not “permissable” but then they are also unavoidable like playing in such a tournament. Atleast there is an attempt not to openly advertise or promote the product from our players which should be appreciated.
the fun wud be when pakistan goes to england next years and one of our players wins the man of the match award just wanna see wat will they do wid the champagne then
Pakistani's did not accept it the last time and if my memory serves me right in one instance (I think Hafeez was the man of the match) the presenter did say something of the nature "Oh obviously cant give you that ... or Cant present you this ..." with holding the bottle.
AFTER failing miserably to persuade England to play a Test match in Karachi, the PCB, in what can only be seen as a face-saving gimmick, has asked the ICC to excuse Pakistani players from wearing jerseys endorsed by alcohol beverage producer Johnnie Walker during the Super Series in Australia.
According to the PCB, alcohol is banned in Islam and cannot be consumed by Muslims in Pakistan. If the PCB is truly concerned about Muslims consuming alcohol, it should refuse any sponsorship payments that will be given to it and the Pakistani players from Johnnie Walker. In fact it should refund each single penny that it received from Cricket Australia during the VB series that took place in December 2004. Maybe the PCB is not aware that “VB” refers to Victoria Bitter, another alcoholic beverage.
Another point that the PCB should remember is that Australia is a secular country and their culture allows anyone in Australia the freedom to choose what beverage they want. We as Muslims claim to be tolerant and peace loving yet we waste no opportunity to be disrespectful to Western culture. In most Muslim countries we want westerners to strictly follow our culture — from the way they dress to what they eat — when they come to our cities but when we go to their cities we like to shun their culture and show no tolerance or flexibility.
Wearing a shirt which says Johnnie Walker has nothing to do with consuming alcohol. From the mediaeval beheadings in Iraq to the suicide bombings in London to these mindless decisions by the PCB, when are we as Muslims going to give up hypocrisy and start showing tolerance and rationality in our decision making?