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.
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
The tournament will feature the world’s top ten teams, nine of whom are from the Commonwealth: Australia 🇦🇺, Bangladesh 🇧🇩, England 🏴, India 🇮🇳, New Zealand🇳🇿, Pakistan🇵🇰, South Africa 🇿🇦, Sri Lanka🇱🇰 and the West Indies 🇧🇸 🇧🇧 🇨🇺 🇯🇲 🇭🇹 🇩🇲 🇵🇷 🇬🇾 🇸🇷 🇹🇹. pic.twitter.com/zVVAxlkvtv
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) May 29, 2019