Shoaib Akhtar lashes out on Babar's absence in World Cup's promo

The International Cricket Council has released the official promo on all social media platforms for the ODI World Cup 2023, set to begin on October 5th in India.

'All it takes one day" is the theme showcased in 2 minutes and 13 seconds video released by ICC. The video comprises a stunning montage of monumental visuals from past World Cup tournaments, with Shahrukh Khan's voice used in narration.

However, against everyone's expectations, the promotional video didn't feature Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who's currently the number 1 ODI batsman. Not only this but most part of Pakistan, which stands as the second ODI team on ICC charts, was hardly anywhere in the video.

Former Pakistan pacer, Shoaib Akhtar, known for his outspoken nature, didn't hold back in expressing his frustration through one of his tweets. The former cricketer criticized the promo and questioned the rationale behind excluding Babar Azam, who is undeniably one of the finest batters in contemporary cricket.

Whoever thought that World Cup promo will be complete without Pakistan & Babar Azam's significant presence, has actually presented himself as a joke.
Come on guys, time to grow up a bit.

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) July 22, 2023

Amongst the visuals shown in the promo include the signature wicket celebration of Pakistan's left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi World Cup 2019.

The Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan appears at the end of the video with the prestigious World Cup trophy saying, "For everything ever dreamt for, pushed for, lived for, it takes, one day."