PCB issues stern response to Pakistan captain Babar Azam's alleged leaked chats and videos

• Image Credit: Google

• Jan 18, 2023 | Dhupali Das

The PCB further justified Babar's silence on the topic, claiming that the right-handed batter did not believe it was worthy...

Digital Desk: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issued a stern response after captain Babar Azam's alleged leaked personal chats, videos, and audio went viral on social media. There was always a major question mark over the authenticity and accuracy of the screenshots, videos, and audio that have gone viral, and PCB has dismissed them as "unsubstantial." The PCB further justified Babar's silence on the topic, claiming that the right-handed batter did not believe it was "worthy."

"As our media partner, you might have considered ignoring such unsubstantiated personal allegations which Babar Azam has not deemed worthy of a response," PCB tweeted, quoting an Australian media report on Babar Azam. The report was deleted soon after.

Babar, for his part, took to social media hours after his purported private conversations went viral to share a photo with a cryptic one-line caption. However, based on PCB's stern tweet, the post had nothing to do with the claims.

Babar's fans, too, did not take the allegations lightly. They came out in numbers in support of Pakistan's captain, with the hashtag #WeStandWithBabarAzam trending. Noted Pakistani journalists also expressed outrage at the leaked chats and videos, while Babar's teammate Imam-ul-Haq put Babar Azam's photo as his Twitter and Instagram DP to show support.

Babar, one of the modern-day greats, has been feeling the heat even on the cricket field. Despite being in good form, he has faced a lot of criticism for Pakistan's string of poor performances at home.

Pakistan had to suffer a 3-0 clean sweep by England in a home Test series, as they struggled on the field. The two-match Test series against New Zealand ended in a scoreless tie. Babar and his team lost the three-match home ODI series against New Zealand, giving them yet another setback.

Pakistan did not win a single home Test match during the current World Test Championship (WTC) cycle while Babar was captain. Despite leading Pakistan to the 2022 T20 World Cup final, there have been continuous rumours regarding Babar Azam's position as captain.