Shoaib Akhtar rips into captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, calls him ‘fat and unfit’
New Delhi: Pakistan’s meek surrender in their match against West Indies hasn’t gone down well with former pacer Shoaib Akhtar and the bowler who was known to send shivers down the spine of opposition batsmen with his pace has ripped apart skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed and called him one of the most unfit cricketers in this generation.
According to a senior Pakistani journalist Saj Sadiq, Shoaib called him ‘unfit’. “When Sarfaraz Ahmed came for the toss, his stomach was sticking out and his face was so fat. He’s the first captain I’ve seen who is so unfit. He’s not able to move across and he’s struggling with wicket-keeping,” Sadiq tweeted.
Writing “Speechless” himself, Akhtar then tweeted: “Ok the match is over. Recollecting my thoughts and emotions. We have to back these boys, they are representing our nation. They need our support throughout the World Cup,” he said.
“It’s a disappointing performance of Team Pakistan, let’s not disheart them more and back them up,” Akhtar wrote in the third and final tweet.
Speaking after the game on Friday, skipper Sarfaraz said his batting department failed to click, resulting in a defeat for his side. “If you lose the toss in these conditions, and lose wickets, it’s hard to come back into the game. Have to play positive cricket here. Didn’t do well as a batting unit today. We know they’re going to come hard with their pace bowlers. We didn’t play well against the short ball.”
He however, seemed confident of making a comeback in the tournament and showered praise on pacer Mohammad Amir, who picked up three wickets for just 26 runs. “Today was a bad day. Confident my team will bounce back. Good to see Amir bowling well. Always good support here in England,” Sarfaraz said.
Pakistan next play England at Trent Bridge on Monday and they will have their task cut out as the Englishmen are looking confident and thrashed South Africa in their opening game.
It's a disappointing performance of Team Pakistan, let's not
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) May 31, 2019
disheart them more and back them uphttps://t.co/8cFvg7YqwK
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
