Controversy erupted within the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) when a purported private WhatsApp conversation between Pakistan's captain, Babar Azam, and a senior PCB official was broadcast on live TV.
The dispute began when former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif alleged on a local channel that Babar had tried to contact key PCB figures, including Zaka Ashraf, Salman Naseer, and Usman Wahla, but received no response for two days.
In an effort to refute Latif's claims, PCB Chief Zaka Ashraf shared a WhatsApp exchange between Babar Azam and PCB's Chief Operating Officer, Salman Naseer, with a sports journalist.
In this conversation, Naseer questioned Babar about rumors of unsuccessful attempts to contact the chairman, which Babar denied making.
The situation escalated when a private news channel aired a screenshot of the chat, reportedly with permission from Zaka Ashraf, although the PCB distanced itself, stating it had no control over the channel's editorial policy
. The PCB responded by saying, "It is at the channel's discretion and policy to determine what to air. PCB has no say or control over the channel's editorial policy," as reported by ESPNCricinfo.
These developments have led to a lack of trust between the national team players and the PCB COO. Additionally, according to a local media report, Babar Azam is unhappy with the leak, fearing that his private conversations on sensitive matters may be leaked to the media in the future.