The Pak cricket team forced the event managers to stop playing music during the lunch interval of the first Test against the West Indies.
LAHORE: The Pakistan cricket team's strong influence of religion came to light again on Saturday when they forced the event managers to stop playing music during the lunch interval of the first Test against the West Indies.
An official said on condition of anonymity that the Pakistani players had specifically told the event managers not to play any music during the breaks as it was the time they prayed together.
The event managers for the West Indies series have made arrangements to play popular songs on loudspeakers during breaks and at the fall of each wicket for the entertainment of the crowds which turned out in decent numbers on the first day of the Test.
"This match is all about providing entertainment to the spectators and I would say even the players are basically entertainers. But today we were surprised when they told us don't play the music, we want to say our prayers", the official lamented.
"The instruction surprised us as it was not time for the afternoon prayers," he said.
Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq had reacted angrily to a recent television interview of the new PCB Chairman, Dr Naseem Ashraf who said he had told Inzamam not to make an exhibition of religion and to ensure players were not victimised if they did not pray with the others.
Inzamam said no player was asked to join the team prayers by force and they said it out of their own belief.
Ashraf also surprised many people today when he was seen walking to the centre before the start of the match and having an earnest discussion with Inzamam and then inspected the pitch with him.
People wondered what the Chairman was doing on the field and inspecting the pitch when this was purely a technical job and he was purely there to command things administratively.
Television umpire Nadeem Ghouri also created a stir in the afternoon when he pressed the red button when the umpires referred a stumping decision to him although it was obvious the batsman, Jerome Taylor was not out.
Taylor had started walking back to the pavilion on the red signal but was than called back by the umpires who were informed on walkie-talkie that the red light had been pressed by mistake.
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