'Hum Apne Mulk Ko Khud hi Badnam Kar Rahe Hain': Afridi Blasts PAK Media for Airing Babar's Messages

Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s leaked WhatsApp chats being shown on national news channels has left the country’s cricket fraternity disappointed. On Monday, a renowned Pakistani media channel – ARY News – aired the screenshot of Babar’s chat with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) COO Salman Naseer in which the latter questioned the national cricket team captain about calling the board chief getting a response. Babar replied that he never called Zaka Ashraf.

Though the news anchor issued an apology for running the leaked messages on air, former cricketers of the country continue to lash out at the media for their insensitive behaviour. Former Pakistan captain and legendary all-rounder Shahid Afridi condemned the act of the news channel, calling it a shoddy act.

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Speaking with Samaa TV, Afridi said, “Main yeh kahunga yeh ghatiya harkat hai (It is a pathetic move). This cannot be done. Hum apne mulk ko khud hi badnam kar rahe hain (We are defaming our country and our players). How can you show someone’s private messages like this, and that too, of our captain Babar Azam?”

“I heard somewhere in the news that Babar has been trying PCB chief but he’s not responding. I think this act has been done to counter that. I don’t understand why this has been done.

“And why it’s aired on national television? Did the PCB Chairman ask him to do so? At least the anchor said so. What kind of behaviour is this? And if the Chairman has really done this, then I’m very sorry, it’s pathetic,” said Afridi.

Earlier on Monday, ex-Pakistan captain Waqar Younis took to microblogging site X and lashed out at the media house for running the screenshot of the chat on national television.

“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 posted.

Anchor’s Apology

Meanwhile, the anchor of the show Waseem Badami has apologised on behalf of his team, explaining his side of the story. He further asserted that PCB chief Zaka Ashraf forwarded him the screenshot, asking him and his team to run it on national television.

“When we are doing a live show in which several people are involved, a range of decisions are taken. Some of them are good and at times we make wrong decisions,” Badami said in a video shared on X.

Pakistan yearn to survive

With the semi-final hopes getting shattered, Pakistan will aim to confirm their berth for the 2025 Champions Trophy. The ICC guideline says the teams finishing in the top 7 will be qualified for the tournament to be hosted by Pakistan in 2025. Being the hosts, it would be challenging for the men in green to book a berth before heading back home. Currently, they are placed 6^th with 4 points and a negative net run rate of -0.387.