A major blunder occurred during Pakistan’s warm-up game against Prime Minister XI, resulting in a controversy. The scoreboard displayed the offensive term ‘P**I’ instead of ‘PAK’, sparking outrage among fans and media. The offensive nature of the term, often used against people of South Asian descent, caused significant anger and disappointment.
Australian journalist Danny Saeed highlighted the error, prompting an apology from Cricket Australia (CA). CA clarified that the graphic was automatically generated by a data provider not used in previous Pakistan matches. They acknowledged the mistake, apologized unreservedly, and assured manual correction to prevent future occurrences.
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On a brighter note, Pakistan’s newly appointed captain, Shan Masood, shone with a brilliant double century (his third in first-class cricket) against PM XI. This impressive knock helped Pakistan amass a strong total of 391 runs.
A clarifier on this from CA: “The graphic was an automatic feed from a data provider which had not been used previously for a Pakistan game. This was obviously regrettable, and the error we corrected manually as soon as it came to light.” https://t.co/7FttR2iZTR
— Daany Saeed (@daanysaeed) December 6, 2023
While Masood excelled, other batters like Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, and Sarfaraz Ahmed failed to capitalize on promising starts. Despite Masood’s heroics, Pakistan still has areas to improve before facing the formidable Australian bowling attack led by Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood.
The lack of bowling practice for Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Mohammad Wasim Jr. also raises concerns ahead of the Test series.
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This incident highlights the need for greater sensitivity and vigilance in sports broadcasting, while also showcasing Masood’s potential leadership and Pakistan’s batting strength. However, the team needs to address batting consistency and utilize its bowling resources effectively to compete successfully against Australia.
