Former Pakistan opener Salman Butt has expressed his disappointment over the International Cricket Council's (ICC) promotional video for the ODI World Cup 2023, which will be played in India later this year.
Butt lamented the absence of Babar Azam in the promotional video, stating that the outrage by the Pakistan captain’s fans was justified.
"It is not a big deal. Babar is not dying to be in a promo. His fans aren't happy with this, and their anger is justified. It is like talking about the best batter in world cricket and not speaking about someone with hundred centuries, or discussing the best captains and forgetting MS Dhoni, Ian Chappell, and Imran Khan. It will surely look biased," Butt said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
The video titled 'It Only Takes One Day' is a tribute to the fans and players, encapsulating iconic moments from World Cup history.
The video includes a star-studded line-up of cricketers, including Jemimah Rodrigues, Dinesh Karthik, and Shubman Gill among others. It also features legendary names such as Muttiah Muralitharan, Jonty Rhodes and Eoin Morgan.
From Pakistan, Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, Wahab Riaz, and Mohammad Amir appeared in the 2:12 minutes long clip.
According to Salman Butt, Babar was left out on purpose and it was not an honest mistake.
"They didn't forget him. It is a thing that has been going on for a long time now. It is not something that can be forgotten. The promo was not made by a kid who would have forgotten. This just shows the mindset of the people who made this promo. If World No.1 is missing from the World Cup advertisement, this tells your state of mind," he remarked.
Earlier, former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar criticized Babar Azam’s absence in the promo video, calling it a “joke”.
“Whoever thought that World Cup promo will be complete without Pakistan & Babar Azam's significant presence, has actually presented himself as a joke. Come on guys, time to grow up a bit,” Akhtar tweeted a couple of days back.
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 is slated to get underway on October 5 with the England versus New Zealand clash in Ahmedabad.
Pakistan will begin their campaign against the Netherlands in Hyderabad on October 6.
