Controversy erupts as Babar Azam’s private messages aired by PCB Chief on Live TV amid ODI World Cup fiasco

Pakistan Cricket is a powerhouse when it comes to off-the-field drama, whether it is related to the PCB Chief’s appointment, a player’s salary issue, or writing to the Apex Cricket Council on petty issues such as vile behaviour by the Indian crowd. But now, things have gone a step ahead when the Pakistan Cricket Board’s Chairman Zaka Ashraf himself on live television leaked Pakistan’s Captain Babar Azam’s private messages to PCB.

Zaka Ashraf gave an interview to a local Pakistan Channel ARY News, in which he revealed that he didn’t receive any calls from Babar Azam after Pakistan’s former wicketkeeper Rashid Latif said in a live TV show that the PCB Chairman is not responding to Babar Azam’s message. Zaka Ashraf came on TV and denied the allegations, he even went on to leak the screenshot of the message that Babar Azam sent to PCB’s COO where he said that he didn’t call PCB’s Chairman Zaka Ashraf.

The act of the PCB Chairman didn’t go well with the fans and former Cricketers as they felt that it was a violation of Babar Azam’s privacy as there was no evidence that Babar Azam gave his nod to the PCB to air his messages. Babar Azam in the message said, “No Salman Bhai, I didn’t call the Chairman”.

The channel apologized as the Controversy caught fire

As the news caught fire, both Zaka Ashraf and ARY News got some serious flak from the fans and former cricketers. In response to the flak, ARY News reputed host Waseem Badami issued an apology for airing Babar Azam’s messages on live TV through a video on “X” formerly known as Twitter.

Waseem Badami said, “We knew it’s not right to air someone's messages on Live TV and initially we decided not to do that but when the PCB Chairman himself asked us to do so, in a spur of the moment we decided to do that but soon after we realized that it’s not the right thing to do and we apologize to fans and Babar Azam for doing that”.

Pakistan is on the verge of being knocked out of the tournament by losing four consecutive matches and now to qualify for the knockout stage they have to win their remaining matches and expect some results to go in their favour which has spurred a debate on Babar’s captaincy future and amid all this new controversy would further dent the morale of the Pakistan Cricket team for their remaining matches.