LAHORE – Cricket fans and Pakistanis lambasted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for brushing out cricket icon turned politician Imran Khan from a tribute video celebrating Green Shirts triumphs.
On Independence Day, PCB shared the clip to pay tribute to Pakistani cricketers sans Imran Khan who led Pakistan to historic 1992 World Cup glory. The removal of the former prime minister draws huge ire and the matter appeared in top Twitter trends.
Amid the heat, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shared a new montage which includes Imran Khan, and this time it removed former skipper Wasim Akram who vented anger at the cricket board on the PTI chief’s omission.
In its clarification, the cricket board said it launched a promotional campaign leading up to the CWC 2023. One of the videos was uploaded on 14th August 2023. Due to its length, the video was abridged and some important clips were missing. This has been rectified in the complete version of the video.
The PCB has launched a promotional campaign leading up to the CWC 2023. One of the videos was uploaded on 14th August 2023. Due to its length, the video was abridged and some important clips were missing. This has been rectified in the complete version of the video ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/Rz2OBDyI9i
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 16, 2023
The new clip is another surprise for fans as it excluded Wasim Akram, who was the man of the match in the 1992 World Cup final.
Fans were quick to notice that Wasim Akram was axed due to his criticism of the cricket board for removing Imran Khan from a previous tribute clip.
Imran Khan, who is known for being the greatest cricketer of all time, is facing a blackout on local broadcasters as the media regulatory authority banned his speeches and pictures from being given any airtime post May 9 vandalism.
Despite the political differences, Imran Khan contributed a lot for Pakistani cricket. He represented Green Shirts in international cricket for 2 decades, hanging his boots after leading his side to the World Cup title in 1992.
He holds several accolades in international cricket and is credited with the introduction of neutral umpires.
Outcry on social media as PCB omits Imran Khan from Independence Day video
