Kamran Issues Reality Check: Controversy Erupts Over Pakistan’s Omission from CT Prize Ceremony

[Lahore, Pakistan, March 12 (ANI)] The former wicketkeeper-batter
Kamran Akmal
addressed the recent controversy surrounding the absence of a representative from host nation Pakistan during the prize distribution ceremony of the recently concluded Champions Trophy. According to him, Pakistan didn’t have a representative because it didn’t “deserve” to be there.

The
International Cricket Counci
The ICC is encountering opposition from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) because their representative was not present for the trophy presentation ceremony following India’s victory over New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final on Sunday. This absence stems from the fact that they were representing their home country.

CEO of PCB and the event organizer,
Sumair Ahmad Syed
At the event held in Dubai, Sumair was present as he stood in for PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who was unable to attend due to illness. Despite this arrangement, Sumair did not appear during the formal proceedings.

Kamran remarked on the absence of Pakistan’s representative at the event. In his view, Pakistan was not entitled to having one due to their performance. He stressed the importance of enhancing the country’s cricket standards to restore its tarnished reputation.

“The ICC held up a mirror for us. During the tournament, Director Sumair was present. He was accessible, so why wasn’t he at the ceremony? This indicates that we do not merit being there. Our performance in cricket has been subpar. Underperforming teams like ours have had this truth reflected back to them,” Kamran stated on his YouTube channel.

“Nobody talked about how Pakistan organized the event. If our team performs at this level, we’ll face similar treatment. Playing only for personal gain won’t earn us any respect,” Kamran stated additionally.

As per recent reports, the PCB has additionally sought an official clarification from the ICC concerning the rationale behind the whole scenario.

ESPNcricinfo reported that the PCB failed to notify the ICC regarding Sumair replacing Naqvi at the event. Nonetheless, the Pakistani board feels that the responsibility lay with the ICC to reach out and ask about Naqvi’s substitute. (ANI)