Sarfaraz Ahmed said he was proud to wear the traditional outfit salwar kameez while visiting the Buckingham Palace to meet Queen Elizabeth before the ICC World Cup opening ceremony on Wednesday. The Pakistan captain was trolled by some sections on Twitter for his decision to wear the traditional outfit instead of western wear like the other captains.
Sarfaraz wore a white salwar kameez with the official blazer in Pakistan colours while the other nine captain stuck to suits. While his call received applause from his country, there were many who trolled him for his choice of attire.
While there were many who applauded Sarfaraz Ahmed for sticking to his roots, there were a few detractors as well, none more scathing than Pakistan-born Canadian writer Tarek Fatah.
Tarek Fatah trolled Sarfaraz Ahmed for being "dressed in pyjamas", adding that he was surprised the Pakistan skipper "didn't come
Every other captain, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, SouthAfrica, NewZealand, West Indies & Zimbabwe is smartly turned out in jacket & tie, but no, not the Pakistani. No sir, not him. I’m surprised he didn’t come in his Lungi-Banyan-Topi costume. How does ...?
— Tarek Fatah (@TarekFatah) May 30, 2019
While many Pakistanis hit back at Tarek Fatah for his comments, there were numerous Indian fans who came out in defence of Sarfaraz Ahmed.
See absolutely nothing wrong with that. He is dressed well, looks good, embraces his culture, is confident enough to wear what he is comfortable in. See no reason for making any concessions for the queen.
— Jai Hind (@mrjaihind) May 30, 2019
I was not expecting this from you. Mahatma Gandhi met King in London in Dhoti. His advisers called him dont do that ,he replied I want to show that king robbed me n my country,I have nothing to luxury.
— Rج.भारत🇮🇳 (@ravindraj12) May 30, 2019
I differ on this. what is the harm if someone dresses in his own country's dress. why it is essential to wear suit in England? If that be so, will every foreigner visiting PM Modi, should essentially wear kurta paizama? and alternately should all ladies wear skirt in England?
— ketan Satnalia (@kesa1917) May 30, 2019
What's wrong? If it was me I would have probably gone in a traditional south Indian attire. That's my wish. That's Indian, That's subcontinent's culture. There is nothing wrong in going in a western attire but there is no need to ridicule someone for wearing traditional attire
— Naga Abhishek Bollapragada (@nbollapr) May 30, 2019
It's really sad that even in such a competitive world, we are judging based on clothes. Let me remind you sir, we Indians too have almost same culture and it's good if @SarfarazA_54 wants to promote his culture. Also, GROW UP.
— Mohita 🇮🇳 (@itsmohitahere) May 30, 2019
What’s wrong in wearing his National dress? In fact, I wish even Virat had the sense or right advice of wearing his national dress too!
— Ranendra Ojha (@ranendra_ojha) May 30, 2019
For once i dont see anything wrong in this...
— 🇮🇳 Chowkidar Renu Gadgil 🇮🇳 (@RenuGadgil) May 30, 2019
Ideally all the captains should have dressed in their native "poshaakhs"...🙂
Does the queen wear a saree when she comes here to visit heads of states? Or her children n grandkids adhere to other cultures dress codes? No! 🙂
In the press conference before Pakistan’s World Cup opener against West Indies on Friday, he said that he was instructed by the board to wear the national outfit and represent the country’s culture.
“The salwar kameez is our national dress and I got instructions from the board to do all these things so I tried to promote our national dress. I felt very proud that the other captains were wearing suits but I was wearing national dress,” he was quoted as saying in a video posted on Twitter.
Sarfaraz Ahmed "The shalwar kameez is our national dress and I got instructions from the board to do all these things so I tried to promote our national dress. I felt very proud that the other captains were wearing suits but I was wearing national dress" #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/mCa1u12dN4
— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) May 30, 2019
While few people trolled Sarfraz, he had a lot more support on social media for standing out. Here’s a look at some of the reactions.
Genuinely what a stupid tweet. It made me proud as a British Pakistani seeing #SarfarazAhmed wearing salwar kameez to meet the Queen. Nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about whatsoever. https://t.co/8l9Yql51cu
— Haroon Rashid (@iHaroonRashid) May 30, 2019
True class and brilliance shown by our captain #SarfarazAhmed by proudly representing our culture on an international platform. #BleedGreen pic.twitter.com/rYeNkJdkYm
— Abdullah Asad (@mabdullahasad) May 30, 2019
What do you feel when you see your big brother standing proudly behind the Queen in national attire? Immense Pride.
— Ahsan Ahmed (@AhsanAhmed90) May 29, 2019
No matter what the world says we will always believe in you and your hardwork. @SarfarazA_54 #WeHaveWeWill pic.twitter.com/vV7WlDoFnd
