‘His name comes in the top 10 batters’ - PCB chief Zaka Ashraf commits hilarious blunder by naming Shaheen Afridi among world’s best batters

With the Asia Cup 2023 right around the corner, the fans lie in wait to witness some of the best Asian teams taking on each other for the coveted title. The ACC (Asian Cricket Council) recently came forward to announce the schedule for the much-anticipated tournament on Wednesday, July 19.

Furthermore, as the schedule for the competition was announced, the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) also came forward to hold a special event alongside its head, Zaka Ashraf, to reveal the schedule. Notably, Pakistan will be co-hosting the competition with Sri Lanka.

However, during the event, Zaka Ashraf made a hilarious blunder while addressing the crowd. While talking of the national team’s potential in ODI cricket, Ashraf came forward to heap praise on pacer Shaheen Afridi and even named him as one of the top 10 batters in world cricket, instead of 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. 

"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," he added.

Pakistan will host Nepal in Asia Cup 2023 opener in Multan

The video of the incident has been doing the rounds all over social media, with many fans trolling Ashraf and his comments. There is no doubt that Afridi is undoubtedly one of the most fearsome and impactful pacers in world cricket, but to call him a top-10 batter is quite comical and bamboozling at the same time. 

Now, speaking of the Asia Cup 2023 schedule, the showpiece event will begin with a clash between Pakistan and Nepal in Multan on August 30. It is worth noting that four matches will be played in Pakistan, with Sri Lanka hosting nine encounters. The summit clash of the competition will be played in Sri Lanka as well. Pakistan will only be hosting three group-stage matches with one super-four match.