The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) published a video on social media in honour of the nation’s 77th Independence Day, paying tribute to some of its finest players. Imran Khan, the former captain who guided Pakistan to their lone World Cup victory in 1992, was not mentioned.
Imran’s exclusion from the video caused a significant reaction among Pakistani cricket legends. Wasim Akram, a former captain who made his debut while Imran was captain, has since denounced the PCB for neglecting Imran’s contributions to the national game on Twitter.
Akram remarked that the PCB should remove the video and apologise for it after admitting that he didn’t saw it till he landed in Sri Lanka. The renowned pacer pleaded with the PCB not to combine politics and cricket. He tweeted, “After long flights and hours of transit before reaching Sri Lanka, I got the shock of my life when I watched PCB’s short clip on the history of Pakistan cricket minus the great Imran Khan… political differences apart but Imran Khan is an icon of world cricket and developed Pakistan into a strong unit in his time and gave us a pathway… PCB should delete the video and apologise.”
This video must be withdrawn by the PCB: Khalid Mahmood
Khalid Mahmood, a former PCB chairman, has before called for the removal of the PCB’s video release. He said while speaking to “Aaj” channel, “This video must be withdrawn by the PCB immediately and released again with proper mention of Imran’s contribution to Pakistan cricket.”
Imran Khan created the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after quitting the sport, and from 2018 to 2022 he was Pakistan’s 22nd Prime Minister. Following that, he was ousted from office in 2022 following an effective vote of no-confidence. Since his removal, he has been the subject of about 150 court proceedings. He was also detained in May on suspicion of corruption. Additionally, he received a three-year prison term and a five-year suspension from holding public office.
