"Received A Clip Where Zaka Ashraf Said...": TV Anchor's Big Confession On Babar Azam-WhatsApp Leak

The Babar Azam WhatsApp chat leak controversy has shaken the cricket world, with several Pakistan cricketers slamming those behind the saga. As speculations over the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Zaka Ashraf not answering his calls went rife, the WhatsApp message suggested that Babar never even tried to get in touch with Ashraf. It has now been revealed by the news anchor, who displayed the WhatsApp message on live TV, that it was the PCB chief himself who asked him to display the WhatsApp message during the show.

In a confession on Twitter, the news host Waseem Badami, said that about 7 minutes before the show was to start, the channel received a clip in which Ashraf asked them to show the message.

"About five to seven minutes before the show, we received a clip where Zaka Ashraf said: 'I am giving you this screenshot and I am asking you to show it live on screen'. Ashraf also gave us permission to share that. He was taking responsibility on TV; we thought we could share it. But it wasn't the ideal decision. We conveniently forgot that Babar Azam's consent was also important," Badami said in a video he shared on X (formerly Twitter). 

"I'm saying this on behalf of my team and the management. I am not proud of it, we are not proud of it. When something like this happens, you learn from it and try not to repeat the same in future," he added, confession what happened was wrong.

My humble thoughts on Babar Azam - Zaka Ashraf issue pic.twitter.com/g7RwamSP54

— Waseem Badami (@WaseemBadami) October 29, 2023

As for the WhatsApp message, the screenshot quoted Babar and a certain 'Salman' in a conversation about the allegations of the PCB chief not answering his calls.

Salman: "Babar, there's also been news circulating on TV and social media that you have been calling the Chairman and he's not answering. Have you called him recently?" read the message allegedly sent by the PCB COO.

Babar: "Salam (greetings) Salman bhai. Maine to sir ko koi call nai ke [I haven't called sir]." 

The authenticity of the WhatsApp message screenshot hasn't been established yet.

Topics mentioned in this article

Pakistan Cricket Team Babar Azam World Cup 2023 Cricket