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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has issued a clarification on the controversy over Pakistani sports presenter Zainab Abbas’ exit from the 2023 World Cup broadcast team. The ICC, on Monday, October 9, denied claims that Zainab was deported from India and stated that her exit from the country was due to “personal reasons”.
A report in The Dawn quoted ICC official C. Rajshekhar Rao as confirming the development to Arab News. Earlier, some media reports claimed that she was asked to leave India due to “security concerns” after a complaint was filed in Delhi last week by a local lawyer. In the complaint, the lawyer reportedly accused Zainab of posting “derogatory” anti-India tweets in the past.
Zainab was present in India for Pakistan’s opening 2023 World Cup match against the Netherlands. However, on Monday, she left India from Hyderabad to Dubai, according to a report in the Times of India.
Among former Pakistan cricketers, Ramiz Raza and Waqar Younis are part of the 2023 ODI World Cup commentary panel. The Pakistan cricket team landed in Hyderabad on September 27 to a rousing reception from fans - their first visit to the country in seven years. They had last been in India for the 2016 T20 World Cup.
Pakistan will face Sri Lanka in their second World Cup match on Tuesday
Meanwhile, on the field, Pakistan will face Sri Lanka in their second match of the 2023 World Cup at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday, October 10.
Pakistan began their campaign in the ICC event with a match against Netherlands in Hyderabad on October 6. They registered an 81-run win in the game. Batting first, Pakistan recovered from 38/3 to post a competitive 286 all out. Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel were the joint top scorers with 68 runs each.
Defending the total, Pakistan bowled out the Netherlands for 205 in 41 overs. Pacers Haris Rauf (3/43) and Hasan Ali (2/33) came up with impressive bowling performances. Shaheen Afridi, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, and Shadab Khan also chipped in with one scalp apiece.
