Pakistani TV news anchor issues apology in Babar Azam chat leak saga, points finger at PCB chief Zaka Ashraf

Pakistan news TV anchor Waseem Badami has apologised on behalf of his team for leaking the private WhatsApp conversation between national cricket team captain Babar Azam and PCB COO Salman Naseer. The apology came on Tuesday (Oct 31) after former players lashed out at the media for disturbing the privacy of the players. However, Badami also claimed that it was PCB chief Zaka Ashraf who permitted him to leak the chat.

Pakistan anchor issues apology

“We have to make a lot of quick decisions when we produce a live show. A lot of people are involved in it too. Naturally, some decisions prove to be right and some wrong. As a team, we made a wrong decision, sharing Babar’s chat with a senior PCB official. In short, we were sitting together and deciding an hour before the show that we shouldn’t make a private chat public," Badami said in a video posted on his official X account.

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On Monday, the personal chats between Babar and Salman Naseer were revealed by ARY News and sparked big outrage. In the chat, Salman had asked Babar whether he had any conversations with the PCB chief during the ODI World Cup in India. However, in reply, Babar Azam declined any conversations with Ashraf as he was under scrutiny during the ODI World Cup for Pakistan’s poor show.

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What is left for Pakistan?

As things stand, Pakistan have lost four consecutive matches in the ODI World Cup after having won thetwo opening matches. They are on the verge of exiting the tournament before the semifinal as they face a tough task with three matches to play. Their latest defeat to South Africa has put them on the seventh spot in the standings. A defeat to Bangladesh on Tuesday will see them officially exit the ODI World Cup before the semifinal stage.

On the other hand, it is reported that captain Babar could resign in the coming days once the team gets back to Pakistan after the World Cup. On Monday, chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq resigned from his post after the team’s dismal show.

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