Inzi and the Indian Spectator in Toronto

1997

Inzamam and the Canadian aloo

Martin Williamson

April 22, 2006






In this era of match referees and all-invasive TV coverage, player behaviour has generally improved, even allowing for the occasional over-the-top sledge and tantrum. But in Toronto in 1997, Inzamam-ul-Haq was guilty of an offence which, were it to happen today, would almost certainly have seen him banned for a very long time.

The incident took place during a match between Pakistan and India in the Sahara Cup, a tournament devised to cash in on the lucrative expat market in north America ahead of the main seasons in the two countries. The series, which had been launched successfully in 1996, consisted of five matches in eight days at the superbly named Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club.

India secured a narrow 20-run win in the opening game, and in the second match, the following day, bowled Pakistan out for a derisory 116. Inzamam scratched around for a 34-ball 10, "looking distinctly awkward in his new Gooch-like stance," according to Cricinfo's man at the ground.

When India batted, the crowd were on the Pakistanis' backs from the off, with Inzamam singled out for attention. Shiv Kumar Thind, a Canadian-based Indian, who had been allowed into the ground armed with a megaphone, taunted Inzamam, as he had done the previous day. What exactly was said is still a matter of debate; what is not in doubt is that it the gist of it was puerile and mildly offensive.

Singh was at the centre of a small group of Indians who kept up a remorseless barrage of insults. Dawn, a Lahore-based newspaper, reported that eyewitnesses said the supporters barracked whatever Inzamam did. "O mote, sidha khara ho [O fatso, stand straight], mota aaloo, sara alloo [fat potato, rotten potato]." The report added that the same group had also targeted Mohammad Azharuddin who had only recently left his wife for Sangeeta Bijlani, a movie star, and another, Debasis Mohanty, was abused by being called "kalia" [*******].


I am bruised all over. My shirt got torn. But most of all I feel hugely insulted. How can someone just slap and assault me and get away with it?

Shiv Kumar Thind


As India cruised on 45 for 1, the teams took a drinks break. It was then the trouble started. Again, as with much of the whole affair, the story is muddled, but it seems that a bat was brought to the third-man area by Pakistan's 12th man and almost immediately Inzamam, who had been in the slips until then, was sent down to the boundary by his captain.

As the taunting continued, Inzamam snapped and jumped into the crowd. Another eyewitness told The Guardian that Inzamam grabbed the bat and headed for the man with the megaphone. "If not for the spectators and security staff curbing him, he would have broken the head of that guy. The guy with the megaphone was no match for Inzamam and got mauled. Even when Canadian police took Inzamam back on to the field, he was trying to get back to the stands."

The Toronto Star carried an account by one of its senior editors. "For getting called several kinds of potato, Inzamam went into the stands ... and attempted to attack a mouthy fan, triggering a nasty mini-riot that could easily have escalated to world-wide ugly.

"Worse, a cricket bat appeared - no one is sure from where, although two witnesses said they thought they saw Inzamam call to his bench for one - and there was Inzamam, apparently swinging his bat at the customer(s) before someone restrained him. He didn't appear to hit anyone with the bat. That is consistent; the Pakistani batsmen were off the mark all day."


I had not gone into the stand to have a fist-fight with him. I just went to ask him why he was abusing me

Inzamam-ul-Haq


Inzamam, who clearly regretted the incident, admitted he had been wrong but asked "how long could have I tolerated the man abusing my religion, country and family members?" He continued: Besides being a sportsman, I am also a human being. How many people in the world would have accepted someone who abuses his country and religion. I had not gone into the stand to have a fist-fight with him. I just went to ask him why he was abusing me. On the contrary, he attacked me with the megaphone and whatever I did later was purely to defend myself. How could have I allowed him to inflict physical harm on me?''


Inzamam was led to the pavilion - some said he was close to tears - and the police arrested two spectators. Only then, woefully late, did the organisers put out a PA announcement asking for the crowd to stop using megaphones. By then, the horse had well and truly bolted.

Both captains came out and asked the crowd to calm down, and after a 40-minute delay the match resumed - Inzamam also took his place on the field - and India eased to a seven-wicket win with no further alarms, either on or off the field.

In the post-match inquests, the organisers emerged with little credit, especially when it was revealed that Salim Malik and other players had complained about the abuse during both matches but no action had been taken. Dawn attacked the organisers for possessing more spin than either team, an accusation that gained credibility when Bill Sinrich, a vice-president of TWI, the promoters of the Sahara Cup, told reporters that "none of the referees nor cricket officials present have seen anything untoward. They will review the TV tapes before commenting on the incident." They must have been the only people on the ground to have missed it.


Jackie Hendriks, the match referee, expressed sympathy with the provocation Inzamam had been subjected to, but banned him for two ODIs nevertheless.

Sachin and Azhar both said they would touch our feet to stop us from filing a complaint. I told Sachin that I could give my life for him but that I would still file a complaint. I told them that even if the prime minister of India told me to forget it, I wouldn't

Shiv Kumar Thind


Ramiz Raja, Pakistan's captain, also recognised that Inzamam, who had a reputation of being a mild-mannered individual, had been provoked. "It wasn't a wise thing to do and it was bad for cricket," he said, "but the fans have been hurling abuse at the players for the last two days and he is a human being and has emotions." But he refused to answer the question many were asking. How did Inzamam get hold of the bat and who had ordered the 12th man to bring it out? ``I don't know," he shrugged. "I can't comment, I have other things on my mind at the moment."

And when a West Indian reporter asked the Pakistani management if he could speak to Inzamam himself, he was met with a dead bat. "No, he can't speak English.''

Back home, Pakistan's management were heavily criticised for allowing such a situation to develop, and then for not backing Inzamam in the aftermath. "The management and the skipper should have strongly defended him," said Hanif Mohammad. "It's no secret that Inzamam is the coolest player in the team. They [the officials] must have been unconvincing before Hendricks."

Haseeb Ahsan, a former chairman of selectors, was equally scathing. "Had the management acted swiftly before the brawl took place, neither Inzamam would have been suspended from two matches nor the relations between the two countries had further suffered.'' But he also censured Inzamam. "He should have never gone into the enclosure because anything could have happened. He might have fractured his hand or suffered any other serious injury."

The rest of the series passed without incident, India romping to a 4-1 series win.

Thind was arrested by Toronto police, accused of throwing his megaphone at Inzamam, and the player himself was released on bail. Both parties subsequently agreed to drop charges against each other. The Pakistan cricket Board decided to take no further action against any of its players.


"My career has been as clear as a crystal," Inzamam reflected. "I regret that I did something unbecoming of a sportsman and inside me, there is also a patriotism but a vulnerable soul."

But the final word should go to journalist Prem Panicker. Many not present read of the incident and found it mildly amusing that a professional cricketer should take such offence at being called a potato. But Panicker pointed out that the cricket bat "was brought out and handed over to Inzamam, who then used it to go after the concerned spectator. The legal phrase for that is premeditated assault with a deadly weapon ... and if you think it is rather ridiculous to equate a cricket bat with a Kalashnikov, then you've never kept wickets standing up and been inadvertently slugged by a batsman going for a sweep. For believe me, a bat can stun, at worst, and even kill."


http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/col...ory/245024.html

So stay clear of our Aaloo, unless he decides to beat some more of the Indians followers...this time it would be away from the field, where he does it (Beating Indians) for a living...

and what about the guy who was provoking him.?? he went there with the intention to incite that also carries a sentence. What do you expect from Mr. PREM PANICKER to give it an indian slant, with the guy being completely innocent

Wait for uncle Miggy to come and sort this thread out (that is if he isnt bored of repeating it for the nth time). He was actually there and by all means the guy really brought it upon himself

sometimes they disrupt matches with their plastic bottles and missiles, with fire and trying to injur the opposing players, and then this incident. one indian who posted this here found it amusing. goes to show the mentality of some of the indian fans

I'm just disappointed why Inzi was not able to land a blow to that moron's head.

Don't forget me and Gasher were there as well......I still remember the incident clearly like yestrerday......Inzi was right in going up to the guy and confronting him.......Even some of the galliyan hurled at Inzi went a bit too far......

there is point in every mans life when he jus cant take it anymore

Prem and I had quiet a heated argument on his article at that time !

But here is the real account !!:

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...ead.php?t=14883

" I am bruised all over. My shirt got torn. But most of all I feel hugely insulted. How can someone just slap and assault me and get away with it?" - Shiv Kumar Thind

Inzi literally slapped Mr. Thind. Well done!! lol.

Mr. Thind, you were being an [Edit by Mods: Maybe a better word is fool ? ] in your abuse of the freedom of speech. So shut up and thank God that you are still alive, moron.

MIG perhaps a better title for your article would have been

"When Inzi lets his bat do the talking"

LOLLLL! that's a gem of a quote!

jokes aside, even though I think Prem Panicker is the best journalist out there, gotta disagree with him here. How long is a guy gonna take abuse towards his family, country, religion? What Inzy did was right, and what the PCB and the Canadaian Authorities did was wrong. If they had handled it, iski naubat hi nahi aati.

That article is so amusing! They way Inzi got him was just fantastic. By the way, at the end when he says "could even kill" is just something the editor has included for a laugh, to sort of take the micky out of Prem Panicker for stating that a bat could kill someone and the entire article has just been written for a bit of a laugh for all those taking it soo seriously!

That Indian would never forget Inzi's slap. Must still be ringing in his ears.

shiv kumar thind

got what he deserved

Another classless quote from Shiv Thinde when Azharuddin & Sachin were trying to convince him from not filing a complaint and forgetting about it since he was primarily at fault -

"Sachin and Azhar both said they would touch our feet to stop us from filing a complaint. I told Sachin that I could give my life for him but that I would still file a complaint. I told them that even if the prime minister of India told me to forget it, I wouldn't"

Shiv Kumar Thind

I read that article several times and here is what I think happened:

Clearly the Indian spectator was at fault. He was wrong to insult Inzi personally, our religion and Pakistan.. Clearly the issue was reported to the authorities but nobody seemed to care about it.. Only then Inzi had to take the matter into his own hands and his cold and calculated assult on the idiot was justified. i AM SORRY HE DIDNT ACTUALLY BREAK A FEW BONES.

Screw that rule. Inzi is a professional. You get abused and celebrated it clearly was inzi at fault he could have reported it but instead he decided to go in the stands. Above all verbal abuse wont get you thrown in jail but physical retaliation is criminal offence. Aside that factor he himself could have got injured. Monica seles got stabbed by crazy fan she was out for 3 years minimum. I mean the guy in the stand could have in self defence hit him on the head with a bottle done something worse. Who knows the affect it could have had on the team. I mean first and formost your a cricketer playing for pakistan, you cant put yourself at risk at the peril of the team. totally immature and stupid of him. No matter how stupid the fan might be. Majid told me a story of when you got out in pak-india people would throw slap and punches on the way upto the pavilion. Majid said one thing on that matter a professional is paid to take abuse and he always has to carry himself as a professional no matter how much you want to fight him.

What part of Cartman's friggin explanation"Clearly the issue was reported to the authorities but nobody seemed to care about it.. ", you didn't understand to yap and yap for this long post

Safehands.. maybe ur beghairat enough to listen to stuff like that, someone barking maan behan gaalian at you, cursing at ur religion and country.. but some of us are not..

i have no shame in admitting I WILL get provoked easily at this stuff and take measures that to you may sound too drastic .. more so than Inzi's.

I wonder if being a beghairat is considered being professional in ur eyes.

Chill folks. Its been a long time anywayz.
Btw Monsee, which one is u in the pic?

its been a longtime but im glad Indians now know not to commit such blunders anymore.. it could have been worse. Good thing indiainfo is making a point to keep reminding them of that.

lol I know.
Cudn't help but laugh at "Inzi slapped me" part.

Main nahin dasda oye...ker lo jo kerna hai

I am the one who is barely visible on the left side or am I

...

Yeah monsee.. which one are you.. the one jissko glucose ki drip lagni waali hai or the one jiss ne nai ki dhi ko cher dia tha?

he is either the one with the box or the one with long hair

I am the one with the red muffler, behind the dude with long hair

Ok, I take it back...I am Chacha Jee

You're my hero!!

can I take a wild guess Monsee?

Coinsidering who got beaten into a pulp, Mr.Thind should be the one rather to be called Aloo.

he lost all his hair in the phainty... he is now known famously as mr tind...... the phainty knocked the "h" out of him.

I loved his quotes and responses. The virulent Indian got really thumped and became hysterical!

In '03 I watched India take the NatWest Trophy beaing England after scoring 300-odd in Lords to win the ODI. The things many of them were shouting at Vaughan and Hussain, showed such a lack of class and absence of dignified upbringing! Such spectators deserve what they get, be it media exposure of what they get up to and the occasional thumping by the player being targetted. Jaahil junglees.

He was lucky that he was just dealing with a 40 year old man, and not a thug group that so often are seen in toronto.Otherwise could have been bit humiliating for the big bear.

Wasnt a pleasant incident WIW.... I dont think Inzi is proud of it.

the rest of Pakistan is though, judging from this thread

But he seemed to have cooled down quite a bit after that, remember inzi cooling off Umar Gul and Yuvraj and then Akmal and Harbhajan in Abu Dhabi. Nice spirit by him.

Asalaam alikum Wr Wb brothers;

Inzamam ul haq has always maintained a great character right from the beginning of his career and it's not overnight that inzi has developed a cool and fine temperament. In 1997 during the sahara cup match at toronto inzi did'nt just lose his cool over being called " aloo" it was more than that as he states that there was a lot of verbal abuse upon religion,country and a personal abuse on his family.

If a person of inzamam's great temperament can lose his cool then you or me will surely can after tolerating such verbal abuse from an indian. I have watched the video last night a couple of times and had mixed feelings after seeing it. It was quite amazing that how inzamam reacted and later on ended up visiting the police station for his behaviour which was unfortunate. But i symphathise with inzi not with the abuser shiv kumar thind with the megaphone going about with his rubbish.There are some decent indians and i have made friends with many but i find the majority is very biased and hostile in nature. Indian crowd is perhaps the worst in behaviour wherever they are around the world.

Classic example is the video highlights of previous encounters between india and pakistan in india and at neutral venues like sharjah and canada we have on pakpassion in the video clips section. I am sure you all have noticed how the heads of indians drop and the body language resembles that of spoilt brat or a very bad loser when pakistan cricket team is performing well whilst batting or bowling. Noticed how the crowd goes pin drop silent when indians are being thrashed on the field, classic example was bangalore 1996 cricket world cup quarter final. Though unfortunately we lost at the end due to controversial reasons but at the start for pakistan's innings of chasing 288 when our great openners aamir sohail and saeed anwar killed srinath and prasad mercilessly the indian crowd looked it would cry tears to over flood river ganga ! This is not the only example i can mention countless ones and story goes on. Afridi's 45 ball thrilling,dynamic and scinthalating hundred in the one dayer at kanpur was a feast to watch but indians could'nt digest it unfortunately.

When indian team came to pakistan in 2004 for a full tour the hospitality and support on the field by pakistan crowds was admirable, witnessed by indian and foreign journalists,celebrities,indian supporters and present and ex cricketers. But when pakistan returned for a full tour in 2005 the indian crowds were not even good as half the hospitality and cordial support as pakistan crowds, infact not even good as quarter of pakistan crowds.The recent example of what happened at ghuwati the place where a one day match between india and england was ruled out due to overcast and damp conditions is another classic example. Indians need to educate themselves how to conduct a good spirit when watching matches at stadiums wherever they be.

I saw that live ...loved it.

controversial reasons...? how?

i feel the most important element in all of this rarely gets mentioned. reshphect for mohammad hussain!

Folks! We all know that it takes big heart to appreciate your opponent. Indian species do not have such kind of hearts, rather majority of them are very narrow minded. They just create big hype and then when it turns out other way around, they do not even feel embarassed. Quite ironic! if we listen to their commentators, it tells all. I was in Abu Dhabi to watch the game. Man! they are sorry cases. It is very unfortunate for us to have them as our opponents!!!!!

The guy quit Canada and is now settled in Africa. He still gets shivers when he watches Inzy come out to bat. The guy has also given up eating potatoes

Asalaam alikum Wr Wb Brothers;

Inzidabest bhai thanks for the information, i really enjoyed thoroughly.
I suppose mr shiv kumar thind has learnt a valuable lesson and will engage in educating those indians who have atrocious behaviour at cricket stadiums.