MELBOURNE: The management of Melbourne Renegades has issued an apology to Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Rizwan after the controversial decision to retire him out during a recent Big Bash match.
Sources confirm that both the team’s captain, Will Sutherland, and coach extended their apologies to Rizwan following the incident. Sutherland expressed regret, stating, “The match was in a tense phase, and I am ashamed of my behavior. You are a great player, and people admire you.”
Rizwan had reportedly expressed his displeasure with the team’s decision. The move to retire him out came after concerns over his strike rate during the game, leading to him being removed from the field. The decision sparked significant criticism on social media, with fans and commentators questioning the fairness of the action.
The apology aims to mend the rift, and the incident highlights the pressure and intense scrutiny players face in high-stakes formats like the Big Bash League.
BBL: Captain calls Mohammad Rizwan off the field for slow batting
Earlier, the BBL match featuring the Melbourne Renegades and Sydney Thunder saw a remarkable and strange occurrence where the Renegades captain took a chance and made a highly debated decision of sending the batsman Mohammad Rizwan off the field because of his slow batting.
The 33rd match of BBL’s 15th season saw this event unfold on Monday. Rizwan, who could score just 26 runs off 23 balls, was told to leave the pitch by the Renegades’ skipper Will Sutherland. Though Rizwan tried hard, his batting had been a little slow and Sutherland decided to send him out.
In a clip that Big Bash League posted on social media, Sutherland can be seen signalling Rizwan to exit the field, while he himself comes in as the replacement batter.
The commentators on the broadcast also noted that a decision could have been made earlier and agreed that the circumstances justified that decision.
The clip rapidly spread on social media and many cricket fans voiced their opinions. Several fans termed the forced retirement as shameful and bemoaned the way Rizwan was handled.
