Shoaib Akhtar accepts Dr Nauman Niaz’s apology over on-screen spat

Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has accepted the apology of Dr Nauman Niaz, after his on-screen spat with the PTV Sports anchorperson.

Taking to Twitter, Akhtar said that he is “taking a higher moral ground” and wants to “move on” from this “unpleasant incident”.

It was an unpleasant incident on National Television and it had hurt my sentiments thats why it took me a while. Taking a higher moral ground, i am accepting the apology of @DrNaumanNiaz . Lets move on from this.

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) November 13, 2021

Akhtar quit live on air after facing “rude and obnoxious” behaviour during a show on PTV Sports, hosted by Niaz, few days back.

In a post-match show, after Pakistan’s win over New Zealand, Akhtar and Niaz were involved in a verbal spat while discussing the impact of Lahore Qalandars’ Player Development Program (PDP) on pacers Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf’s performance.

“You’re being a little rude and I don’t want to say this: but if you’re being over smart, you can go. I am saying this on air,” Niaz told Akhtar before switching to a commercial break.

Soon after, PTV decided to take Niaz and Akhtar off-air and a committee was formed to investigate the incident.

Later, Niaz apologised to Akhtar while stating that the “repercussions of his on-air outburst was totally fair”.

“To err is human, that should not have happened and for that I can apologise not only once but a million times. I know I hurt the sentiments of a lot of people and that includes Shoaib Akhtar, who has been a rollicking star… regardless of the fact that it was his mistake or not,” said Niaz on Rauf Klasra’s YouTube channel.