Cricket Australia Issues Apology For Racist Slur On Scorecard During Prime Minister XI vs Pakistan Match

Updated - 07 Dec 2023, 03:47 PM

Shan Masood and Babar Azam
Shan Masood and Babar Azam (Image Credits: Twitter)

Cricket Australia (CA) has issued an apology for a racist slur that appeared in its live score ticker during the ongoing tour match between Pakistan and the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra. The board acknowledged the error and expressed regret for any offense caused.

During the opening day of the warm-up match on Wednesday, a racial slur controversy arose as the game scorecard displayed the offensive term ‘P**I’ instead of PAK. The use of this term, considered offensive for people of South Asian descent, caused an uproar.

The Graphic Was An Automatic Feed – Cricket Australia

Australian cricket journalist Danny Saeed brought attention to the offensive term displayed on the game scorecard, prompting Cricket Australia to promptly address and rectify the issue.

“The choice to run with “P**I” on the Fox ticker over the traditional “PAK” is…quite a choice,” Saeed wrote.

Cricket Australia clarified the offensive term on the scorecard, explaining it was from an automatic feed and emphasizing that they corrected it manually as soon as it was brought to light.

“The graphic was an automatic feed from a data provider which had not been used previously for a Pakistan game. This was obviously regrettable, and the error we corrected manually as soon as it came to light,” Cricket Australia wrote in a statement, according to the Australian journalist.

Pakistan Impress With Bat During Four-Day Warm-Up Match

Pakistan performed well with the bat, reaching 391/9 before declaring their innings on Day 2 of the warm-up match in Canberra. Newly appointed skipper Shan Massod scored his double century, adding 201 not out off 298 balls with the help of 14 boundaries and a six.

Jordan Buckingham of the Prime Minister’s XI was a standout performer for the team, picking up five wickets for 80 runs in the first innings. Batters Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, and Sarfaraz Ahmed got off to good starts but couldn’t convert them into a big total.

In response, the Prime Minister’s XI reached 149/2 in 60 overs by stumps on the second day, with Cameron Bancroft scoring 53 and Marcus Harris contributing 49. The Prime Minister’s XI were trailing the Shan Masood-led team by 242 runs with all eight wickets in hand.

Also read: Watch – Cameron Bancroft Pulls Off Spectacular One-Handed Catch To Dismiss Faheem Ashraf During PM XI vs Pakistan

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Babar Azam Cricket Australia Pakistan national cricket team Shan Masood