“Zaka Ashraf is not a club chairman” - Shahid Afridi lashes out at PCB chief after TV host claims Ashraf asked him to leak Babar Azam's private chat

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has hit out at Zaka Ashraf after the news anchor who displayed Babar Azam’s private chat on TV claimed that that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief told him to do so.

A massive controversy erupted in Pakistan after the national cricket captain’s private chat with a high-ranking PCB official was leaked on TV. Reacting to the backlash, news host Waseem Badami admitted that the news channel erred in their decision-making, but also alleged that it was Ashraf who asked them to make the private chat public.

Lashing out at Ashraf following the news anchor’s statement, Afridi said on Samaa TV:

"Zaka Ashraf is not a club chairman. He is the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board. He should observe many things. I am surprised that you are calling up owners of media houses that 'he is saying so and so about me." You are the chairman. You do your job and deliver. People are saying things about you because you have given them the opportunity to do so.”

The enraged former Pakistan captain advised Ashraf to focus on his work and added:

“The team is playing World Cup and you are giving statement after statements. Sometimes you are saying something about Babar, sometimes about someone else. First strengthen your position. Work on what we as cricketers expect from you. Leave aside what people are saying against you. You are giving the opportunity yourself. Mind your own business.”

After four consecutive losses, Pakistan stayed alive in the 2023 ODI World Cup by hammering Bangladesh by seven wickets at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday.

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What the news anchor claimed about Babar Azam chat leak controversy

The news anchor, who displayed Babar’s private WhatsApp message on live TV, claimed that, a few minutes before the show, his channel received a video in which

Ashraf asked them to show the message. In a video shared on X, Badami commented:

"About five to seven minutes before the show, we received a clip where Zaka Ashraf said: 'I am giving you this screenshot and I am asking you to show it live on screen'. Ashraf also gave us permission to share that. He was taking responsibility on TV; we thought we could share it. But it wasn't the ideal decision. We conveniently forgot that Babar Azam's consent was also important."

"I'm saying this on behalf of my team and the management. I am not proud of it, we are not proud of it. When something like this happens, you learn from it and try not to repeat the same in future,” he added.

Meanwhile, Pakistan moved up to fifth position in the 2023 World Cup points table with their win over Bangladesh. They have six points from seven matches and a net run rate of -0.024.