Zaka Ashraf Makes Hilarious Blunder By Listing Shaheen Afridi Among Top 10 Batters

Zaka Ashraf, who was addressing the gathering, however, made a humorous error during the occasion.

The Asia Cup 2023 is just around the corner, and fans are eager to watch some of the top Asian nations compete for the prized trophy. The highly anticipated tournament's schedule was released by the ACC (Asian Cricket Council) on Wednesday, July 19.  As the competition's schedule was revealed, the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) also stepped up to host a special event with its president, Zaka Ashraf, to officially unveil the schedule. Notably, Sri Lanka and Pakistan will co-host the event.

Zaka Ashraf, who was addressing the gathering, however, made a humorous error during the occasion. While discussing the prospects of the national squad in ODI cricket, Ashraf praised pacer Shaheen Afridi and even included him among the top 10 hitters in the world instead of mentioning his name in bowlers.

"There is strength in both our batting and bowling. If you talk about batting, our captain [Babar Azam] is number one [ranked batter] in the world. If you talk about others, then Pakistan batters are among the top-five [in the rankings]," Ashraf said during the ceremony, a video of which is available on PCB's YouTube channel.

"If you talk about Shaheen Shah Afridi, his name comes in the top 10 batters. So, the way the Pakistan team is playing, my best wishes are with them."

Social media has been flooded with the incident's footage, which has many admirers mocking Ashraf and his remarks. Afridi is without a doubt one of the most formidable and effective pacers in global cricket, but to describe him as a top-10 hitter is both absurd and perplexing. After Shah stated last year that India would not be flying to Pakistan for the event, the Asia Cup is now being contested under a hybrid format. On August 30, a game between Pakistan and Nepal will kick off the competition in Multan, Pakistan. On September 2, the much-anticipated match between India and Pakistan will take place in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The second group stage match will take place against Nepal on September 4 at the same location.

Three group stage games and one Super Four stage match will be held in Pakistan. The remainder of the competition will be taking place in Sri Lanka. On September 17, the final will take place in Colombo.