New Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) broke the internet on Thursday by releasing the Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign song. The promotional video clip featured top cricketers of the world, noted cricket experts and also had some memorable moments of past World Cup encounters. What made this special was its endorsement by the Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. The superstar added zing to the ICC video by being a part of the promotional campaign.
As it landed on social media, it drew loud cheers from cricket fans as well as movie buffs alike. A storm of emotion was seen on social media as many couldn’t contain their euphoria and went to cheer for Team India, with unparalleled fervor.
However, Pakistani side was left disappointed with the ICC’s cold treatment to its players especially Babar Azam. The promotional video gave a fleeting reference to Pakistan team, despite being a strong contender for the World Cup trophy. To make matters worse, it didn’t feature top Pakistani cricketer Babar Azam and expectedly drew harsh reactions from its fans.
History will be written and dreams will be realised at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 ?
All it takes is just one day ✨ pic.twitter.com/G5J0Fyzw0Z
— ICC (@ICC) July 20, 2023
The passing reference to Pakistani side in the ICC promotional hit a raw nerve with Pakistani fans, who took to Twitter to vent their frustration & anger over the ‘raw deal’.
Many slammed the ICC for cold-shouldering Pakistan team and belittling its prowess despite being a strong side. The absence of Babar Azam’s picture in the ICC video left many fans incensed who said that he has been dominating the ICC’s ODI charts for sometime now, still he has been given a miss.
‘The ICC has delivered an insult to Pakistan & it must be penalized for this’, wrote one user.
How Pak fans vented anger on social media
Here is an insight into frustration & anger of Pakistani cricket fans, who took to Twitter to roast the ICC for the affront meted out to its players.
