'Shame On PCB': Pakistan Fans Baffled After Imran Khan Not Including in Pakistan Cricket's Tribute Documentary
On Pakistan's 76th Independence Day, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released an emotional documentary movie on social media featuring some of the sport's heroes and their invaluable contributions to the nation's cricketing history and heritage.
The two-minute and twenty-one second animation tracked Pakistan's international cricket debut in 1952, through their historic World Cup win in 1992, and all the way to the 2022 T20 World Cup, when the Babar Azam-led current Pakistan squad reached the final in Australia.
However, the absence of Imran Khan, the man who inspired and led them to that 1992 World Cup, from the celebratory film sparked widespread outrage across all social media channels.
The video's title states, "Making history isn't just about one day; it's about the legends we create and the stories we tell." Pakistan Cricket Team is a legacy that lives on."
It includes all of Pakistan cricket's legendary superstars who contributed to making history and contributing their unique significance to the sport in the country. The clip featured Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Waqar Younis, Shahid Afridi, and Babar, as well as highlights from the 1992 victory, the 2009 T20 World Cup victory, and the 2017 Champions Trophy victory over India.
However, Pakistan Cricket's Twitter handle received harsh criticism from fans after they were unable to locate Imran in the video, and they demanded PCB to remove the video and re-post it after editing it. Here's how Pakistan cricket fans responded…
One of the key reasons Imran was left out of the documentary video could be that the cricketer-turned-politician was arrested earlier this month for the second time in four months.
The former Pakistan Prime Minister was sentenced to three years in prison by an Islamabad court for "corrupt practises" and barred from politics.
The 70-year-old was arrested at his home on August 5 after the court issued its verdict in the Toshakhana case, in which he was accused of selling state gifts worth hundreds of millions of rupees.
Aside from Imran, the film omitted batting hero Mohammad Yousuf, who still holds the record for the most Test runs in a calendar year, and former Pakistan batter Saeed Anwar.