LAHORE: Pakistan women’s cricket team batter Sidra Ameen has hit the headlines, not only for breaking records with her performance, but also for an act that has ruffled feathers on the other side.
During the current ODI series against South Africa, Sidra Ameen has registered back-to-back centuries, 121 in the first ODI and 122 in the second, becoming the first Pakistani lady and the second Asian lady to make two consecutive ODI centuries.
She now has 6 of Pakistan’s 10 overall ODI centuries in women’s cricket, creating a new national record.
Yet, it was not her batting alone that gained the spotlight. When she finished her sixth century in her career, Sidra celebrated by spelling out the number “6” with her hand. While most interpreted it as a gesture of respect for the milestone, some Indian social media users responded furiously, taking it to be a political gesture pointing towards the Pakistan Air Force’s “6-0” scoreline in a previous military engagement, one that is frequently mentioned as a matter of national pride in Pakistan.
The gesture rekindled tensions on the net, as Indian netizens criticized Sidra of “politicizing sports.” Pakistani fans, however, supported the cricketer, asserting that the gesture was merely a celebration of her sixth ODI hundred, and nothing more.
It’s worth mentioning here that previously this year, after the May military confrontation referred to as “Ma’raka-e-Haq”, Pakistan Air Force asserted that they shot down six Indian planes, an announcement that attracted public attention and patriotic fervor in Pakistan.
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Pakistani player Sidra Ameen has not yet made any comments on this controversy publicly.
