Zaka Ashraf’s Talk on Removing Babar Azam:
In the recent news, there’s an audio clip of 2 minutes and 15 seconds long, causing a stir on social media. People say it’s a Zaka Ashraf audio clip, talking about why Babar Azam stepped down from captaincy. This clip is making things more confusing for Ashraf and telling us some interesting things about what’s happening inside the PCB.
What the Clip Says: Babar’s Friend, Agent Talha, and Captaincy Troubles
In the audio clip, a voice that sounds like Zaka Ashraf says, “Hassan Ali played because he is Babar Azam’s friend. There is a person named Talha who is an agent. He controls 8 national team players.”
The voice also says that Talha influences players’ personal lives, saying, “He even goes to the homes of players and has good relations with their families. The players don’t even move without taking his permission.” Ashraf, if it’s really him, talks about trying to convince Babar Azam to step down as the captain for the short-format matches, which eventually led to him leaving captaincy for all three formats
Problems during the ICC World Cup 2023:
The fight between Zaka Ashraf and Babar Azam seems to have started during the ICC World Cup in 2023 in India. Pakistan didn’t do well and got out of the tournament early after losing four games in a row. If the audio clip is real, it gives us a peek into how things were not great within the PCB during this time.
Also Read: The Challenge Down Under: Pakistan’s Test of Mettle on Australian Soil
Leaked Chats and Captain Changes:
Before this audio came out, there was another problem in November. Chats on WhatsApp between Babar Azam and the PCB Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer were leaked. These chats made people wonder if Babar had been talking to Ashraf during the World Cup, as some local news said.
After a meeting in Pakistan about their World Cup exit, PCB decided to take away the captain’s role from Babar Azam. Shan Masood became the Test captain, and Shaheen Shah Afridi became the captain for T20I matches. But, interestingly, the ODI captain position is still empty, making the situation even more confusing.
Qadir Khawaja and the Draft Drama:
Qadir Khawaja, a prominent sports journalist, recently put Zaka Ashraf’s audio clip on his Twitter. To make things more complicated, during the recent 2024 draft, Ashraf apparently didn’t let Qadir Khawaja cover the event. This raises questions about how Zaka Ashraf deals with the media, and it might suggest a bigger problem of not being open within the organization.
Conclusion:
As all these things unfold, it’s really important for the PCB to talk about these problems and tell people what’s really happening. Cricket fans and the cricket community are waiting for the PCB to say something official. Until then, we can only guess if the audio clip is true and why they really took away Babar Azam’s captaincy.
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