Pakistan’s Cricket team was heavily criticized by their former cricketers including the greats like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Misbah-ul-Haq, and Shoaib Akhtar at various stages of the recently-concluded 20-20 World Cup in Australia, especially when they were on the verge of getting knocked out of the tournament from the Super 12 stage after comprehensively losing their first two matches to India and Zimbabwe.
A source close to former wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal confirmed that he got a notice from the legal department of the board, served on behalf of chairman Ramiz Raja. It was not clear as to which comment of Akmal hurt the board’s chief, prompting him to send a legal notice but they were deemed defamatory and offensive.
“I don’t know exactly what charges they have made against Kamran but apparently the legal notice has been sent because the chairman feels Kamran made defamatory, false, and offensive comments in the media about him,” sources was quoted as saying by NDTV.
If the reports are true, then more legal notices could be issued to other former players as well who have their YouTube channels and presumably ‘crossed the line while criticizing the team’s performance.’
Strict actions would be taken now on harsh criticism and trolls
Sources said that the Pakistan Cricket Board’s legal team had been told to take immediate action if any comments by any former player on their own YouTube channel or on television channels is found to be defamatory, offensive, personal, false, and damaging to Pakistan cricket.
“Some of them clearly cross the line while criticizing the team, management, board, and chairman. Ramiz has made it clear that he is not going to tolerate anyone running down or defaming Pakistan cricket anymore,” the source said.
It is known that some of the former Pakistani Cricketers have always been too harsh with their words on Babar Azam and the team. And the board’s chief and selectors have not spared them this time, as it seems.
