Pakistan-Born Star Slams Sunil Gavaskar Over 'Casualties' Remark, Gets Brutally Trolled

Pakistan-born English cricketer Azeem Rafiq has been brutally criticised by fans on social media after he slammed Sunil Gavaskar. The legendary India cricketer had questioned Sunrisers Leeds' purchase of Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed for GBP 190,000 (approximately INR 2.35 crore) by Chennai-based owners Sun Group in The Hundred 2026 auction. Gavaskar had said that the decision to buy a Pakistan cricketer indirectly contributes to the death of Indian soldiers and civilians, a statement that was labelled as "vile" by Rafiq. However, Rafiq has now faced trolling for criticising Gavaskar.

For the uninitiated, Abrar's purchase by Chennai-based owners, who also own Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad, received major criticism from Indian cricket fans on social media given the strained diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan, particularly after the Pahalgam terror attack in 2025.

Gavaskar had also opined that Indian owners should refrain from buying Pakistan players.

"Although belated, the realisation that the fees that they pay to a Pakistani player, who then pays income tax to his government which buys arms and weapons, indirectly contributes to the deaths of Indian soldiers and civilians is making Indian entities refrain from even considering having Pakistani artistes and sportspersons," Gavaskar had written in his column on Mid-day.

"Whether it is an Indian entity or an overseas subsidiary of the entity that is making the payment, if the owner is Indian then he or she is contributing to the Indian casualties," Gavaskar had further written

This is what Azeem Rafiq said in response to Gavaskar's statements:

This is absolutely ridiculous & should be condemned ..

How are these comments acceptable? I don't care how many runs you have scored

Vile stuff from Gavaskar https://t.co/sLYtUKmGnZ

— Azeem Rafiq (@AzeemRafiq30) March 16, 2026

"This is absolutely ridiculous & should be condemned. How are these comments acceptable? I don't care how many runs you have scored. Vile stuff from Gavaskar."

However, Rafiq was soon criticised by fans on social media.

An off-spinner, Rafiq was a regular for Yorkshire in English country cricket in the 2010s, playing 39 first-class matches, 35 List A games and 95 T20s.

Topics mentioned in this article

Azeem Rafiq Sunil Gavaskar Abrar Ahmed India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team England Cricket Team Sunrisers Leeds Sunrisers Hyderabad Cricket