Sarfraz Ahmed APOLOGISES for Racial Comment; Says, He Had No Intentions of Upsetting Anyone

Pakistani captain Sarfraz Ahmed has been in hot water ever since his racial slur had been caught on the stump mic. The Pakistani skipper was heard commenting on South Africa’s Andile Phehlukwayo during the second ODI between the two nations at Kingsmead. Sarfraz Ahmed had received a severe backlash post this and even Shoaib Akhtar had condemned the act in a video. However, he deleted it later. Now, Sarfraz in a series of tweets has apologised for the comment made by him and said that he did not intend to upset anyone. Sarfraz Ahmed Racist Comment Row: Shoaib Akhtar Asks Him to Apologise to Andile Phehlukwayo Publicly; Former Pacer Later Deletes Video.

In the racial slur directed at the South African cricketer, the Pakistani skipper not only spoke about his colour but also about Phehlukwayo’s mother. As per a few reports, the comment could invite him a ban from the ICC. In a series of tweets Sarfraz wrote, “I wish to extend my sincere apologies to any person who may have taken offence from my expression of frustration which was unfortunately caught by the stump mic during yesterday's game against SA. My words were not directed towards anyone in particular and....”Did Sarfraz Ahmed Make a Racial Remark? PAK Captain Calls South African Pacer Andile Phehlukwayo 'Abey Kaale' in 2nd ODI, 2019: Watch Video.

In the next tweet, he wrote that his words were not meant for anyone and he did not wish to communicate the same to the opponents.

Here’s another tweet.

Even the Pakistan Cricket Board issued a statement expressing regret and neither does the body support or endorses the behaviour. “Sarfaraz is one of the most respected cricketers in the world. However, captaining Pakistan is a massive honour and any hurtful remarks by any cricketer, let alone the captain, are not acceptable to the PCB. The PCB is confident that this incident will not affect the series, which has been played in great spirit with some excellent performances from both side,” read the statement. The ICC is yet to take an action on the statements made by Sarfraz Ahmed.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 24, 2019 09:34 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).