'Time to grow up': Shoaib Akhtar slams Babar Azam's absence from World Cup promo

A lot of Pakistani fans lambasted ICC for Babar Azam's exclusion despite him being number one batter in ODI

By Web Desk

July 22, 2023

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam (left) and former pacer Shoaib Akhtar. — Twitter/Instagram

Shoaib Akhtar, who is the former Pakistani pacer, expressed his frustration over the International Cricket Council's (ICC) World Cup promo for not including top ODI batter Babar Azam.

Since the release of the promo, a lot of Pakistani fans have lambasted the ICC for Azam's exclusion despite him being number one in ODI.

Akhtar spoke about the World Cup promo controversy which is the talk of the town since its release.

"Whoever thought that World Cup promo will be completed without Pakistan & Babar Azam's significant presence, has actually presented himself as a joke. Come on guys, time to grow up a bit," he wrote on Twitter.

The ICC released World Cup 2023's promo earlier this week, featuring Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan in the lead role.

The cricket fraternity also felt that the promo revolves more around the Indian cricket team just because the event will be hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

A lot of people termed the ICC world cup promo as the "BCCI promo" or "India national cricket team's (ICT) promo".

Many others also pointed out the exclusion of the Pakistani flag in the video.

Ten teams will fight for the elusive title across 10 venues from October 5 to November 19, with the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad hosting the tournament opener and the final.