Pakistan cricket and controversies are a package deal. The Pakistan cricketers always end up making headlines for the wrong reasons with every statement or action they make intentionally or unintentionally.
Just two days ago, a video emerged on social media of Pakistan captain Babar Azam body-shaming wicket-keeper Azam Khan during a practice session.
In addition, former Pakistan captain and wicket-keeper Rashid Latif released a video on X in which he is in conversation in a talk show about private dinner organized by the cricket team to meet fans at 25 dollars!
The show hosts Kamran Muzaffer who also has Nauman Niaz, Pakistani TV personality, Cricket correspondent and author who too are astonished as well as called out those Pakistani cricketers blaming them for being part of such an event.
“There are official dinners but this is private dinner. Who can do this? It’s terrible. That means you met our players in 25 dollars. God forbid, had there been mess people would have said boys are earning money,” says Latif through the video.
Moreover, the host added that these events were not supposed to happen because on national duty and that too for only 25 dollars!
Nauman Niaz described it as a “sad state of affairs” and asked about intent and focus of this group.
Latif further states that “Whenever anybody ask me the call from Pakistan players it just comes ‘how much money will you give?’ This is very common. Things have changed now; we used to have 2-3 dinners but they were official ones. But you know why it has become highlighted because it’s World Cup so players should be careful enough. $25 shouldn’t be used like this openly; there was no commercial angle when you attended two/three diners one go without any monetary gain involved with them; charitable dinning can be made e.g.; fund raising dinners but neither fundraising nor charity, this is private function with Pakistan and Cricket associated to it. Don’t make this mistake.”
Pakistan will play their opening T20 World Cup match against the United States in Dallas on Thursday followed by a big clash against archrivals India in New York on Sunday.
