Pakistan is doing tremendously in the 2021 T20 World Cup thus far. First, Babar’s men pummeled India by ten wickets. Then they followed it up by a 5 wicket victory over New Zealand. All should have been well in Pakistan as their side outplayed two ‘tournament favorites’ in their first 2 games. However, such wasn’t the case during Pakistan TV Sports program “Game On Hai.”
Hosted by Dr. Nauman Niaz, “Game On Hai” is one of the premier sports shows in Pakistan. Recently, an elite panel turned up to grace the aforementioned show, discussing Pakistan’s win over New Zealand. Former Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar was also a part of the panel.
Shoaib Akhtar asked to walk out of the show
During the live telecast, Akhtar chose to appreciate Lahore Qalandars’ Player Development Programme for giving opportunities to talented pacers in Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi. He also credited the franchise’s coach Aaqib Javed. Here’s what he commented- “Must give credit to Lahore Qalandars. These were the guys brought by Aaqib Javed under Lahore Qalandars PDP program… Players Development Programme.”
Apparently, this didn’t go well with host Nauman Niaz, who abruptly cut him off. Trying to prove Shoaib wrong, Niaz cited that Shaheen was a part of Pakistan’s Under-19 squad as well. Shaheen’s resurgence has to do with Lahore Qalandars but Niaz was seen totally discrediting their part. “I’m also talking about Haris Rauf. Sir somebody come to the work, right?” inquired Shoaib.
However, this pissed Niaz off. Asking Shoaib Akhtar to walk off, he said, “You’re being a little rude. If you’re being oversmart, you can go. I am saying this on air.”
SHOAIB QUIT LIVE ON AIR 😳
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— Fox Cricket (@FoxCricket) October 27, 2021
“I don’t think I should be sitting here right now,” quoted Akhtar, quitting the show immediately. Later, Shoaib took to social media in a bid to clarify his actions. He called Niaz “obnoxious” and openly despised his behavior. The show also featured former international stars in Viv Richards, Dawid Gower and Sana Mir. Getting disrespected in front of such stars didn’t go well with former Pakistan speedster.
“I tried to repair the damage during the show. But he didn’t say sorry to me. I decided that i have had enough. He insulted me on national TV. As a national star, I didn’t like how he treated me in front of foreign stars,” quoted Akhtar, concluding his stand.
