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Former Pakistani cricket team wicketkeeper Rashid Latif made allegations on Saturday, suggesting that Zaka Ashraf, the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management committee, was neglecting Babar Azam’s attempts to contact him through calls and text messages.
However, Ashraf, in response to these claims, asserted during an interview on a local news channel that the Pakistan captain had never directly reached out to him. Ashraf clarified, “He [Latif] claims I don’t answer Babar’s calls. He has never called me. The team’s captain should communicate with the Director of International Cricket or the Chief Operating Officer.”
Despite Ashraf’s denial of any contact from Babar, he went to great lengths to support his statement by sharing a personal WhatsApp message from Babar Azam during the interview. The WhatsApp exchange, broadcasted on live TV, occurred between Babar and PCB’s Chief Operating Officer, Salman Naseer.
Shameful act done by @ARYNEWSOFFICIAL by leaking Babar Azam private WhatsApp messages on national tv. I agree on the manager conflict of interest bit but doing this is utter shameful act expected better from Mr Waseem badmi.@WaseemBadamipic.twitter.com/6Y0chDPXjH
— Mustafa 🇵🇸 (@Mustafasays__) October 29, 2023
In this revealed conversation, Naseer’s message reportedly said, “Babar, there are reports circulating on TV and social media that you have been trying to contact the Chairman, but he’s not responding. Have you recently tried to call him?” According to the host, Babar responded, “Salam Salman bhai, I have not made any call to sir.”
Also Read: Ramiz Raja Reveals Off Air Talk With Babar Azam After Afghanistan Defeat
The ethical aspects of sharing Babar’s personal message on live TV are unclear, as it might be viewed as a breach of privacy, and it’s uncertain whether Babar gave his consent for this disclosure.
Former Pakistani cricketer Azhar Ali also raised a similar concern during the program, questioning whether the PCB chief or the program obtained Babar’s consent before broadcasting his personal message live on air.
The show’s host, Waseem Badami, used his social media platform to share a video in which he acknowledged the error in disclosing the WhatsApp conversation involving Babar.
My humble thoughts on Babar Azam – Zaka Ashraf issue 🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/g7RwamSP54
— Waseem Badami (@WaseemBadami) October 29, 2023
Badami explained that there was initial hesitation about revealing the conversation, but since the PCB chief had granted permission to broadcast it, they ultimately chose to air it. However, Badami stressed that showing the conversation was an incorrect decision made by the channel, and he offered a sincere apology for the mistake.
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