Pakistani cricketer Aamer Jamal has come to the defense of Mohammad Rizwan after Australian cricketer Brad Hogg was criticized for mocking his English fluency. The controversy erupted following a video that circulated on X (formerly Twitter), where Hogg interviewed a content creator impersonating Rizwan, who was speaking in broken English.
Amer Jamal expressed his disappointment in a tweet, stating, “I just watched a video circulating on Twitter and other social media. It is a very shameful act from Brad Hogg, who calls himself an international cricketer, making fun of Rizwan about his English, which is his third language, not even second.” He further suggested that Hogg should consider becoming a TikToker, implying that he was seeking attention by ridiculing others.
The video in question features Hogg asking the impersonator, who resembled Indian batter Virat Kohli. The impersonator humorously responded, “I and Virat are alike. He drinks water, I drink water. We are both the same; there is no difference.” The impersonator also added, “Ya to win hai ya to learn hai,” before Hogg praised Rizwan’s English skills, to which the impersonator replied, “Yes, everyone in Pakistan says my English is very good.”
Social media users quickly condemned Hogg’s actions, with one professor tweeting, “It’s absurd for an ex-Australian cricketer to participate in a video mocking the Pakistani captain’s English, considering his native language is Pashto.”
Another user expressed disappointment, saying, “Absolutely distasteful from Brad Hogg to engage in this mockery of Rizwan. Used to think he was a decent bloke, guess not.”
The backlash continued, with a meme page stating, “Think the whole Australian community should now be ashamed of Brad Hogg. What a disgrace!”
As the debate rages on, it’s clear that mocking someone’s language skills, especially in a cricketing context, can lead to significant backlash and calls for accountability in the sporting community.