On Pakistan’s Independence Day, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) posted a video on X (formerly Twitter), paying tribute to Pakistan cricket over the years. “Making history isn’t just about one day, it’s about the legends we create and the tales we script…Pakistan Cricket Team – a legacy that echoes through time,” tweeted PCB with the video.
Interestingly, the video did not show former Pakistan cricket captain Imran Khan except for a short glimpse. You’d probably miss him if you blinked. Sports journalist Faizan Lakhani noticed this “bareek kaam”.
PCB has come under fire since posting the video.
Former cricket captain and one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, Wasim Akram, slammed PCB in a tweet.
“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,” tweeted Wasim Akram on X (former Twitter).
Caretaker Sports Minister and former pacer Wahab Riaz also criticised the PCB in a press conference.
“We can never forget the ’92 World Cup. We can never forget the captain. We have always idealised him [Khan] and Insha’Allah, I believe the young generation will also idealise their stars,” said Wahab Riaz.
Imran Khan is considered to be one of the best and most iconic players in Pakistan’s cricket history. Khan played 88 Tests and 175 ODIs for Pakistan. Khan also led Pakistan to its first series victory in England in 1987 and under his captaincy, Pakistan won the 1992 World Cup.
Former Captain Pakistan Women’s Cricket Urooj Mumtaz Khan took a dig at PCB and posted, “Imran Khan will go down in history as one of the greats of the global game!”
Here are some other reactions from users on X (former Twitter):