World Cup 2023: Pak presenter leaves India amid backlash over anti-India posts, cites 'personal reasons'
World Cup 2023: Pakistani presenter Zainab Abbas, who was part of the ICC digital team covering the ODI Cricket World Cup, left India on Monday after receiving outrage on social media for alleged anti-India posts in the past. The sport's governing body said she left for personal reasons.
Zainab left India from Hyderabad, where she had been assigned to cover Pakistan's three World Cup games. On October 6, she attended Pakistan's World Cup opening against the Netherlands at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. After she declared that she would be covering the ICC big event in India, posts from her X account went viral.
As social media speculation rose about Zainab's departure from India in the middle of the tournament, the International Cricket Council emphasized that she was not deported from the host country.
“Zainab has not been deported, she has left for personal reasons,” an ICC spokesperson said.
The presenter was expected to travel to cities where Pakistan is slated to play, including Bengaluru, Chennai, and Ahmedabad, after arriving in Hyderabad last week.
Former Pakistan players Rameez Raja and Waqar Younis have arrived in India to serve on the commentary panel for the ODI series, which began on October 5 and will conclude on November 19.
- With inputs from agencies
