LAHORE - Muhammad Zaman, a diehard fan of Pakistan cricket and known as Chacha T20, yesterday demanded an apology from Pakistan opener Ahmed Shahzad for his misbehaviour and warned that he would stage a protest against the opener if Shahzad do not apologise.
Zaman who attends almost every Pakistan game in UAE, be it a Test or a T20, has claimed on Friday night that aggressive opener threatened him in team hotel.
According to details, Zaman along with son of his host in Abu Dhabi Qaiser Salaman Gondal visited Inter-Continental Hotel where the Pakistan team was staying during the first Test.
“We went to hotel just to have a glimpse of Pakistan cricketers and for a chance if we could have a picture with them. It’s a normal routine of Pakistan fans to request the cricketers for pictures,” Zaman told from Abu Dhabi.
Zaman said they were a bit late but luckily they spotted Shahzad wandering in the hotel lobby alone around 10:45 of UAE time. “I requested him for a picture with my friend’s nephew but he rudely told us to get lost.” When Zaman asked him to show some respect Shahzad blasted them angrily and told Zaman that he was a liar and conspirator.
“He (Shahzad) also threatened me of serious consequences,” Chacha T20 added.
When asked what the reason Shazad was annoyed with him, Zaman replied he himself did not know as all the players always treated him with respect and never turned down his request for a picture. “Earlier in the day, some supporters in the ground were hooting at Shahzad and passing on comments on him and I spoke to them and refrained them from showing such behaviour. Shahzad was also looking at me at that time and maybe he thought that I was behind those spectators,” Zaman said and added may be he was angry at Ijaz Butt for his allegations in an interview against him and was frustrated enough to attack whoever he is coming across.”
Zaman said he was supporting Pakistan team just for the sheer love for the country and his passion for the sport while he had to face joblessness due to his this passion. “But instead of appreciating me, I was misbehaved and threatened,” said a dejected Zaman and demanded of the PCB and the team management to ask Shahzad to tender an apology to him otherwise he would stage a protest against him in the next match with other spectators.
So after four days of a boring Test in Abu Dhabi, it seems that the things would spice up in the series due to mismanagement of the board as they seems a failure in handling any situation, whether it is pitch preparations or player’s management. To keep players from the interaction or altercation with the fans is team manager’s responsibility, who in this case is a very old guard Intikhab Alam. Alam is also responsible for the dead slow pitch at Abu Dhabi, as it was he who looked after the pitch preparations for the England series. And PCB media manger Aga Akbar is also in UAE and he should also try to inculcate some public relation tactics in players to avoid such unfortunate incidents.