Pakistani batsman Umar Akmal and pacer Junaid Khan, who are both representing Punjab in the ongoing Pakistan Cup, were involved in a public spat over the latter's "absence" form a scheduled match.
"Any changes in your squad?" the TV presenter asked Akmal during the pre-match coin toss ceremony, to which he replied; "Nasir is going to be filling in for Junaid today."
"Any particular reason for that?" the anchor asked.
"I just found out when I walked into the ground that he [Junaid Khan] is absent. I'm very surprised. The manager and coach told me he's not going to be playing today. It's a shocking news for me, as captain," Akmal said, laying the grounds for a war of words between the two national players.
Junaid Khan presented a rebuttal moments later, in a video filmed from his hotel room.
"I am saddened to hear Umar Akmal's remarks that he made on television, saying 'I ran away from the team'. I disagree with that. I am dealing with a case of food poisoning and the team management is well aware of that. In fact, I was advised by the team doctor to take a rest day," he said.
The Pakistan Cup this year features five teams; Sindh, KP, Balochistan, Punjab and Federal areas.
The points table of this year's tournament puts captain Umar Akmal's frustration in perspective, as Punjab currently stands at the bottom of the list managing to win only one of the three matches it has played so far.
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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), in a press release issued on Thursday, announced its decision to set up a three-member inquiry committee to look into the matter. The committee will be headed by PCB's General Manager Domestic Cricket Shafiq Ahmed and will present its findings "as early as possible".
The committee will also include the Punjab team's manager Ishrat Ali and coach Tanveer Shaukat.
