The latest trailer for the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 is receiving mockery on social media for the scarce representation of Pakistan.
The video heavily features Indian, Australian, and England teams, while skipping other teams. Pakistan was featured in a few scenes, each scene of less than a second, mostly showing challenging and defeating moments of Pakistan throughout the ICC World Cups.
This has irked Pakistani cricket fans, who reminded ICC that with Kapil Dev, Imran Khan is also the winning captain of the ICC World Cup. The comment section of ICC’s Twitter account has been flooded with hilarious comments, accusing ICC and India of unfair representation of the cricket teams in the video.
Read more:Shah Rukh Khan features in the ICC ODI Men’s World Cup campaign
The video features Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan as the narrator. Meanwhile, Indian cricketer Shubman Gill is being highlighted as the next cricketing star.
History will be written and dreams will be realised at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 🏆
All it takes is just one day ✨ pic.twitter.com/G5J0Fyzw0Z
— ICC (@ICC) July 20, 2023
Actor Arsalan Naseer and Director Nabeel Qureshi took to Twitter, expressing their disappointment over the portrayal of Pakistanis in a despondent manner and the lack of representation of Pakistan’s cricket team and fans in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 trailer. The absence of Babar Azam, Pakistan’s cricketing sensation and team captain, puzzled many.
Actress Mawra Hocane tweeted a message of resilience, stating that despite feeling ignored, Pakistanis will always rise to the top against all odds.
Hum kya kareyn zeher khaaleyn ?? Itney badey promo main itni si representation of pakistan cricket team and fans that too disappointing phase main, except shaheed afridi celebrating, and no shot of babar being no 1 player still, hadh hai bhai biased honey ki ! https://t.co/fCxBhwZOlp
— Nabeel Qureshi (@nabeelqureshi) July 20, 2023
Jaani thora aur dukhi dikha do Pakistanis ko ??
— Arsalan Naseer – CBA (@ArslanNaseerCBA) July 20, 2023
Rapper and comedian Ali Gul Pir highlighted the lack of diversity in the trailer’s comments section, sarcastically noting that it seemed like only Australia, England, and India were participating in the World Cup, leaving other teams out of the spotlight.
The trailer’s focus on India and the fact that it was produced by the host country raised eyebrows among fans. While host nations typically have a significant presence in promotional materials, the perceived underrepresentation of other teams sparked criticism for not capturing the true spirit of the tournament.