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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made headlines with the official announcement of an 18-member squad slated to compete in the imminent ODI series against Afghanistan and the highly anticipated Asia Cup 2023. However, this development took an unexpected twist as an Indian journalist faced criticism for their inadvertent inaccuracies in depicting certain Pakistani cricketers within the national roster.
Vikrant Gupta, a prominent figure as the host of the television show “Sports Tak,” along with a fellow panelist, committed a factual error by labeling Tayyab Tahir as a leg-spinner, when in reality, Tahir holds the position of a middle-order batter. Adding to the confusion, the journalists mistakenly attributed Saud Shakeel’s name instead of Shan Masood, who was excluded from the squad due to a lackluster performance in the ODI matches.
Here is Indian journalist’s poor analysis of Pakistani cricketers
Indian cricket analyst reviewing Pakistan Cricket team for Asia Cup, apparently Tayyab Tahir is a spinner, and analysis on Saud Shakeel is The funniest????????. #TayyabTahir #SaudShakeel pic.twitter.com/d99dVA5S0Y
— Shaharyar Ejaz ???? (@SharyOfficial) August 10, 2023
In the age of social media, the viral propagation of this video led to an immediate backlash from cricket enthusiasts. The incident triggered an outpouring of trolling aimed at the journalists, who were urged to conduct thorough research about the players before delving into squad evaluations.
Shifting the focus back to the national squad, it’s noteworthy that Tayyab Tahir’s inclusion stems from his remarkable batting prowess displayed in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and particularly his standout performances in the Emerging Asia Cup 2023.
Under the captaincy of Babar Azam, the team is gearing up for a rigorous three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, set to unfold in Sri Lanka. This series will serve as a precursor to their forthcoming engagement in the ODI Asia Cup 2023, generating heightened excitement and anticipation among cricket enthusiasts worldwide.
Also, see:
World Cup: Security threats for Pakistan at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens
