Cricket analyst and former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar has resigned from PTV after an unpleasant scene between him and the host Nauman Niaz on the talk show ‘Game on Hai’. Several clips of the show went viral on social media indicating a verbal spat.
It appeared that the host canceled the fast bowler whenever he tried to speak. In one of the videos making rounds on social media, Shoaib was heard saying that the credit must be given to Lahore Qalandars for discovering either Harris Rauf or Shaheen Shah Afridi. There was confusion regarding what Shoaib was trying to say but it seemed that the host took offense. Niaz said Shaheen played Under 19 cricket and that Shoaib was being rude. He told the Rawalpindi Express to leave if he was being over-smart.
Shoaib Akhtar Clarifies His Stance
Shoaib Akhtar released a video on social media to address the controversy. He did not explain what he wanted to say but mentioned that Nauman Niaz was being obnoxious and asked him to leave for no reason. The former player also referred to himself as a national star who had been crudely brushed aside and insulted in front of several other popular personalities like Sir Vivian Richards.
Shoaib claimed that he wanted to avoid the embarrassment by sorting it out with Niaz. He claimed that he asked Niaz to apologize to him on live TV but the host refused to do so.
Reaction from Supporters
Many across the country came in support of Shoaib Akhtar as they believed that the host was the one being rude. From one video, it can be seen that Akhtar took back his smiling attitude after Nauman started to use a rude manner. When he wanted to speak, Niaz ignored him and abruptly started speaking to another guest. Then Akhtar tried to address Nauman’s behavior once again but the host quickly took a break.
Viewers were not impressed by the incident and thought that Niaz was behaving that way out of ego issues. Most of them expressed disappointment and anger towards Niaz for humiliating a legendary cricketer on live TV.
Some commentators saw it as an embarrassment for the entire nation as both parties started to fight in front of international guests for no apparent reason. The issue was an extension of recent incidents of similar nature involving former Pakistani cricket players.
Waqar Younis recently apologized for passing controversial remarks regarding Pakistan’s win against India. He said that the best thing about Rizwan’s performance against Pakistan was that he offered Namaz in the middle of Hindus. Additionally, Mohammad Amir, who quit cricket last year, was also engaged in a war of words with former Indian bowler Harbhajan Singh after Pakistan beat India.
Viewers just hoped that the current spell of cricketer would keep the battle on the pitch only.
Nauman Niaz’s Response
The host of the show also responded to the ongoing discussion and claimed that the viral videos only had one side of the story. He added that he considered Shoaib Akhtar a star and acknowledged his contribution to Pakistan’s cricket. Furthermore, he claimed to be friends with Akhtar and wished him well but there was still no public apology.
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