“This amount is so small he can’t even afford air tickets” – Danish Kaneria roasts Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif for sharing a cheque with Arshad Nadeem
Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria took a dig at Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for sharing a picture of a cheque with Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, who won the gold medal in the javelin throw event at the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday, August 8.
Kaneria said that 1 million PKR (3 lakh INR) is not enough for Arshad to afford air tickets and is an insult to his struggles. He instead asked PM Sharif to gracefully congratulate the gold medallist.
On Friday, August 9, Shehbaz Sharif wrote on X:
“Bravo Arshad. History made! Pakistan’s first Olympic men’s javelin champion, Arshad Nadeem brings home a historic gold medal at Paris 2024! You’ve made the whole nation proud young man.”
Danish Kaneria reacted:
“Mr. Prime Minister, at least offer a graceful congratulations. Delete the picture of the million rupees you gave—it does nothing for his real needs. This amount is so small he can’t even afford air tickets. It’s an insult to both Arshad and the nation, considering his ongoing struggles.”
The reaction came as Arshad (92.97 meters) beat title favorite Neeraj Chopra (89.45m) in the final event. This was Pakistan's first gold medal in over 30 years - since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
As seen in Hindustan Times, Maryam Nawaz, Chief Minister of Punjab (Pakistan) then announced that the Olympic gold medalist will receive prize money of 100 million PKR. This amounts to approximately 42 lakh INR, more than four times the reward by the Pakistan PM.
Who is Danish Kaneria?
Danish Kaneria is a former Pakistan cricketer, who has played 61 Tests and 18 ODIs. The former leg-spinner has the fourth-most wickets for his country in Tests with 261 scalps in 61 matches. The 43-year-old is only behind Wasim Akram (414), Waqar Younis (373) and Imran Khan (362) in the list of highest Test wicket-taker for Pakistan.
Kaneria has a stellar record in domestic cricket, picking up 1024 scalps in 206 first-class matches. The Karachi-born spinner has also scalped 262 wickets in 167 List-A games.
Kaneria’s career was plagued by match-fixing allegations in a NatWest Pro40 2009 match in England. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) imposed a lifetime ban on Kaneria in May 2010. After years of denial, he admitted to his involvement in a spot-fixing scandal in October 2018.