PCB posts new promotional video with Imran Khan, says omission was "due to its length"

After facing severe backlash over Imran Khan's omission from a promotional video showcasing Pakistan's rich cricketing history, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) posted a revised clip on Thursday and called it the "original version". It said the previous video had "some important clips missing" because of its length.

The latest post included clips from the team's 1992 World Cup triumph and three new scenes of the then-captain Imran from the tournament. Fans and former cricketers had demanded an apology from the board for ignoring one of the country's greatest cricketers, which they felt was due to political reasons.

"The PCB has launched a promotional campaign leading up to the CWC 2023," the staement said. "One of the videos was uploaded on 14th August 2023. Due to its length, the video was abridged and some important clips were missing. This has been rectified in the complete version of the video ⤵️"

Pakistan is in political turmoil since Imran Khan was disposed of as the Prime Minister in April 2022 after over a three-year-long rule following a no-confidence motion in parliament. Protests and complicated politics involving multiple stakeholders, including the military, culminated in his arrest on August 5.

He was sentenced to prison for “corrupt practices” by a court in Islamabad and handed a five-year ban from politics by the country's election commission. Recently, broadcasters in Pakistan have stopped showing Imran's images or even mentioning his name in what is being called a de facto or unsaid ban.

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"PCB should delete the video and apologize": Wasim Akram on Imran Khan's exclusion

Hours before the new video's release, legendary fast-bowler Wasim Akram had demanded the deletion of old video and an apology from the board.

"After long flights and hours of transit before reaching Sri Lanka, I got the shock of my life when I watched PCB’s short clip on the history of Pakistan cricket minus the great Imran Khan." Akram tweeted on Wednesday. "Political differences apart but Imran Khan is an icon of world cricket and developed Pakistan into a strong unit in his time and gave us a pathway… PCB should delete the video and apologise."

Former board chairman Khalid Mahmood also said he was "very angry" seeing the board members making "politically motivated" decisions.