Pakistan great Shoaib Akhtar has slammed the International Cricket Council (ICC), the governing body of the sport, for leaving out Babar Azam from the ODI World Cup 2023 official promo, on July 22, Saturday. The most prestigious cricket tournament in the world is set to begin in India from October 5 onwards, while the final will be played on November 19 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
ICC released the official promo of the upcoming ODI World Cup on July 20, Thursday, across various social media platforms. The theme showcased in the two-minute and 13 seconds video was 'It takes one day,' wherein some of the best moments, involving the biggest of cricket players, during the 50-year history of the quadrennial event were on full display. The narration was done by the superstar of Indian Cinema, Shah Rukh Khan.
Although the video had one glaring omission, it didn’t feature the Pakistan captain and number one batter in the world in the 50-overs format, Babar Azam. Even the presence of the Pakistan cricket team in the official promo of the ICC for the ODI World Cup 2023 was second to none.
This led to the former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar letting his frustrations known about the video on his official Twitter account. His tweet read, “Whoever thought that World Cup promo will be complete without Pakistan & Babar Azam's significant presence, has actually presented himself as a joke. Come on guys, time to grow up a bit.”
Pakistan cricket team aren’t confirmed to participate in the ODI World Cup 2023 yet
The participation of the Pakistan cricket team in the ODI World Cup 2023 is still not confirmed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). They are slated to face Team India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 15, in a blockbuster clash, which is awaited by cricket fans, not just in India and Pakistan, but all over the world.