The row over Windies cricketer Darren Sammy being called ‘Kaluu’ during his stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has created quite a stir in Indian cricket. Amid such a scenario, owner of Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Peshawar Zalmi, Javed Afridi, has claimed that Sammy and other West Indies cricketers are ‘treated like kings’ in Pakistan.
With protests being made all over the world following the tragic death of George Floyd in the USA, people have been sharing their experiences in dealing with racial discrimination. Several Windies stars including Sammy, Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo have been vocal about racism-related incidents that they themselves have encountered over the course of their careers.
Many West Indies cricketers, including Sammy, Gayle and Bravo, also play in the PSL. As for Zalmi owner Afridi, Pakistani fans love and support these Windies stars, especially when they don their respective PSL jerseys.
“West Indian stars like Sammy are treated like kings in Pakistan,” Afridi told The News in an interview on Wednesday. “They are naturally flamboyant players and are regarded as match-winners. Pakistani fans love to watch and support them, especially when they are playing in the PSL.”
As for Sammy, who has also been the captain of PSL side Peshawar Zalmi, Afridi said: “Sammy is treated like a hero by Zalmi fans and he deserves it.”
The racism row surrounding Sammy sparked when the veteran all-rounder went on to claim that some of his Sunrisers teammates had a racist nickname for him ‘kaluu’. While it isn’t sure as to which players Sammy is talking about in reference, the development so far hints at Ishant Sharma being one of them.
While only time will tell how this entire controversy settles, Sammy has already issued a warning to his unnamed former SRH teammates to ‘reach out’ or else he will start taking their names.
“So recently I discovered a word that I was being called was not what it actually meant I need some answers. So before I start calling out names I need these individuals to reach out and please tell me there’s another meaning to that word. I saw you as brothers,” he captioned the video on Instagram.
