In an unexpected plot twist, Farid Khan, a Pakistani journalist, has apologised to former England captain Michael Vaughan on social media. This comes a few days after Farid had slammed Vaughan after he had claimed that playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) would have been a better preparation for the England players, heading into the T20 World Cup, rather than playing against Pakistan. Reacting to Vaughan's remarks, Farid took to social media and slammed the former England batter for disrespecting Pakistan cricket.
However, as England thumped Pakistan 2-0 in a four-match series on Thursday, Farid has now sided with Vaughan. He apologised to Vaughan and said that whatever he claimed turned out to be true. For the record, two of the four games between England and Pakistan were washed out due to rain.
"Hey, Michael Vaughan. I'm sorry, I apologize! You were right and I'm embarrassed. England players should have played IPL playoffs and final. Even a Ranji Trophy team could defeat us, Delhi Capitals or Punjab Kings will win one-sided against this Pakistan team. I'm worried about our matches vs Canada & USA in the World Cup. This is the worst period on Pakistan cricket in years," Farid captioned a video of his apologising to Vaughan on X.
Vaughan was quick to accept Farid's apology, as he wrote: "Apology accepted".
Meanwhile, Vaughan had made the claims after the England Cricket Board (ECB) called back its players days before the IPL 2024 playoffs to play in a four-match T20I series against Pakistan.
"I think you're going to miss the trick by sending all their players home. You know, I think Will Jacks, Phil Salt, Jos Butler, in particular, playing in the IPL in the eliminators, pressure, crowd, expectation. I would argue that playing here is better preparation than playing a T20 game against Pakistan," Vaughan said in Club Praire podcast.
Vaughan had claimed that the players would've benefited by finishing the season with their respective franchises in the IPL.
"I'm all for international cricket, but now and again, this tournament in particular, it's so exposed to pressure. These players are under a huge amount of pressure from fans, owners, and social media. It's massive. I just felt particularly those two, and Butler, probably not as much, but I still think he could have stayed here," Vaughan said.