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Babar Azam’s leaked WhatsApp chat ‘irked’ PCB COO

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7 months ago

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The disclosure of captain Babar Azam’s private WhatsApp chat regarding team’s affairs has irked Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Operating Officer (COO) Salman Naseer, senior sports journalist Sohail Imran revealed on Thursday.

“PCB COO Salman Naseer is very annoyed that in corporate culture the conversation that was shared between people should have remained between them..,” he said while speaking on Geo Pakistan show.

The PCB COO, the senior journalist said, is also concerned that players would be wary of discussing their matters with him in future amid fears that their private conversations may get leaked.

The journalist shared that the PCB COO is worried over players’ concerns that their private conversation with him might be shared with the PCB chairman or someone else and it ultimately gets leaked to the media.

Journalist Imran said the latest saga has created a trust deficit between the national team players and the PCB COO.

Moreover, according to the journalist, Babar is also annoyed over the leak fearing that his private conversation on sensitive matters may get leaked to the media in future.

Responding to a question about who leaked the conversation, the journalist said everything related to the controversy had come out into the open and the one who leaked it had also accepted responsibility.

Leak controversy

The saga began after an alleged “private” WhatsApp chat between Pakistan skipper Babar Azam and a senior Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official was aired live on local TV recently.

The leaked conversation lent credence to the reports that senior management of the PCB was ignoring Babar Azam’s messages.

Speaking on state broadcaster PTV Sports, Rashid Latif claimed that the captain has been sending messages to the PCB Management Committee Chairman Zaka Ashraf, Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer and Director of International Cricket Usman Wahla for the last two days, but all three of them are not responding.

The controversy also came under discussion on a private news channel when a screenshot of an alleged WhatsApp chat between the two was aired.

“Babar, there’s also been this news circulating on TV and social media that you have been calling Chairman and he’s not answering. Have you called him recently?”

To which, Babar Azam allegedly replied: “Salam Salman bhai, ma nay to sir ko koi call nai ke [Salam Salman bhai, I have not made any calls to sir].”

“Ok thanks,” the other person responded.

However, there was no mention of the date when the communication took place.

Former Pakistan cricketer, Azhar Ali, who was one of the guests on the show, asked the reporter whether he took Babar’s consent before leaking a private communication.

To which he said, as a reporter, he doesn’t need to ask.

This move didn’t sit well with netizens who blasted the TV channel management and the reporter over their “unethical” move.

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Shaheen Afridi and Babar Azam get special jerseys from PCB chairman

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4 days ago

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After the victory over Ireland, Babar Azam surpassed Uganda’s Brian Masaba (44 victories) to become the most successful skipper in T20I history with 45 wins. Since taking over as captain in 2019, Azam has guided Pakistan in 78 games.

In the interim, Shaheen Afridi reached the noteworthy landmark of 300 wickets in international cricket. During the second Twenty20 International, Ireland skipper Paul Stirling became his 300th wicket.

The 24-year-old is also the fifth-youngest bowler to reach the mark.

Since making his international debut in 2018, he has played in 145 matches across all formats for Pakistan. In Test cricket, he claimed 113 wickets, while in ODI and T20I, he claimed 104 and 84 wickets respectively.

Interestingly, in the second Twenty20 International, Pakistan chose to bowl first, and in the fourth over, Afridi dismissed both of Ireland’s openers, bringing the score down to 34-2.

Nonetheless, Ireland reached 193 in their allotted 20 overs thanks to an outstanding 51 runs from 34 balls by Lorcan Tucker, which included five boundaries and two sixes. Gareth Delany also hit a rapid 28 off 10 balls.

Thanks to the half-centuries of Fakkhar Zaman and Muhammad Rizwan, Pakistan was able to successfully chase the 194-run mark with 19 balls remaining.

After early wickets from Babar Azam (0) and Saim Ayub (6), they put up a 140-run partnership in 78 balls to turn the tide of the match in Pakistan’s favour.

With an undefeated 75 off 46 balls that included six boundaries and four sixes, Rizwan top-scored for Pakistan, while Zaman was removed after making 78 runs off of 40 balls.

Another important contributor was Azam Khan, who scored an undefeated 30 off 10 with four sixes. In the seventeenth over, he blasted three sixes off Mark Adair to end the match in spectacular fashion.

Pakistan and Ireland will play their third and final Twenty20 International tomorrow, May 14.

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PCB will install floodlights for PSL matches at Quetta Stadium.

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1 week ago

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By installing floodlights by September, PCB will keep its word. Following stadium renovations, PSL matches would also be held in Quetta, according to Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

He stated at a press conference held at Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti Cricket Stadium that the possibility of holding Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches in Quetta was being considered.

In Gwadar and Quetta, he said, the PCB would do its part to promote cricket.
Quetta Stadium will soon have floodlights installed, as announced by the interior minister, which Chief Minister Bugti congratulated for the news.

The province has a wealth of skills, and installing floodlights will help promote sports and cricket in particular. He responded to a query by saying that chances will be given to the province’s youth at the federal level.

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The women’s team from Pakistan travels to England for a white-ball series.

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2 weeks ago

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The national squad left Karachi earlier today to play three Twenty20 Internationals and three One-Day Internationals in the series.

Dr. Muhammad Faisal, Pakistan’s High Commissioner in England, greeted the women’s team and management.

The team will soon depart for Leicester to play a practice match on 9 May against the ECB Development XI. On May 11, in Birmingham, the first Twenty20 International will take place.

Notably, this will be Pakistan’s eighth and final series of the current event cycle. The ODIs in the series are a part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022–25.

Pakistan women squad for England tour

Nida Dar (captain), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali (wk), Najiha Alvi (wk), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani and Waheeda Akhtar

Player support personnel: Nahida Khan (manager), Mauhtashim Rasheed (interim head coach), Saleem Jaffar (bowling coach), Taufeeq Umar (batting coach), Hanif Malik (fielding coach), Syed Nazir Ahmed (media manager), Rabia Siddiq (physiotherapist), Zubair Ahmed (analyst) and Hina Munawar (chief security officer)

Tour Schedule

9 May – T20 warm-up game v ECB Development XI, Uptonsteel County Ground (11.00 am local time)

11 May – 1st T20I, Birmingham (2.30 pm local time)

17 May – 2nd T20I, Northampton (6.30 pm local time)

19 May – 3rd T20I, Leeds (1.00 pm local time)

21 May – One-Day warm-up game v ECB Development XI, Northampton (11.00 am local time)

23 May – 1st ODI, Derby (1.00 pm local time) (ICC Women’s Championship)

26 May – 2nd ODI, Taunton (11.00 am local time) (ICC Women’s Championship)

29 May – 3rd ODI, Chelmsford (1.00 pm local time) (ICC Women’s Championship)

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