Former Pakistan captain and legendary pacer, Waqar Younis came to captain Babar Azam's defence after the superstar's WhatsApp chat was leaked on live television. Waqar reacted angrily to the entire saga that seemed to have rocked Pakistan cricket and its fans overnight as turmoil rages on and seems to spread like wildfire. Waqar termed the act as 'pathetic' and urged people to leave Babar alone as he is an asset to Pakistan cricket.
"Ya kya Karna ki koshish kar raha ho aap loog??? This is pathetic !!! Khush ho gaya aap loog. Please leave @babarazam258 alone. He’s an asset of Pakistan Cricket," Waqar wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief, Zaka Ashraf allegedly gave the green light to leak the private WhatsApp chats of captain Babar on live television. However, in response to these claims, Ashraf stated in an interview with a local news channel that the team's captain had never directly contacted him. Ashraf clarified, "He (Latif) says that I do not pick up his (Babar's) phone. He has never called me. The team captain should communicate with the Director of International Cricket and the Chief Operating Officer."
Following Ashraf's actions, questions have arisen about whether Pakistan's captain gave permission to share his private chats. It should be noted that leaking personal messages can be considered a breach of privacy.
Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif made these claims on Saturday, alleging that PCB chief Ashraf was allegedly ignoring Babar's attempts to contact him and was avoiding his calls. These accusations have caused a stir in Pakistani cricket circles.
During the program, former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali asked if Babar's permission was obtained permission by the PCB president or the program to broadcast his private communication. Subsequently, the program's host released a video on social media apologising for leaking Babar's WhatsApp chat.
Babar Azam's leaked WhatsApp chat
"Babar, there’s also been news circulating on TV and social media that you have been calling Chairman and he’s not answering. Have you lately given him a call?" the WhatsApp message read. Babar’s response was, "Salam Salman bhai, I have not made any call to sir."
The host clarified that initially, they were hesitant to make the conversation public, but in the end, they decided to do so because the PCB chief Ashraf had given them permission. However, Badami emphasised that the channel had made a mistake by displaying the chat and offered a sincere apology.
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