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The inappropriate use of racial language and any form of discrimination based on race or ethnicity in sports is unequivocally condemnable. Recently, a disturbing incident unfolded during the Pakistan tour of Australia’s warm-up game against Prime Ministers XI at Manuka Oval in Canberra, bringing attention to the urgent need for greater awareness and sensitivity in the sporting arena.
Use of a racial word on the scoreboard ticker
During the first day of the match, an unsettling incident drew widespread attention as the scoreboard ticker inadvertently referred to Pakistan’s team as ‘P**I’ instead of the standard abbreviation ‘PAK.’ This deviation from the norm immediately caught the eye of spectators and raised concerns, as the term ‘P**I’ is recognized as a derogatory slur aimed at individuals of South Asian descent.
This incident serves as a reminder of the need for continuous education and awareness to eliminate inadvertent instances of racial insensitivity from the sporting realm.
Cricket Australia’s clarification
Cricket Australia admitted to the big blunder in the scoreboard. According to them, the graphic, sourced from a new data provider, was automatically fed and hadn’t been used previously. Acknowledging the regrettable incident, they clarified that the error was corrected manually as soon as it was identified.
“The graphic was an automatic feed from a data provider which had not been used previously for a Pakistan game. This was obviously regrettable, and the error we corrected manually as soon as it came to light,” Australia’s supreme cricketing body clarified, as quoted by an Australian journalist.
A clarifier on this from CA: “The graphic was an automatic feed from a data provider which had not been used previously for a Pakistan game. This was obviously regrettable, and the error we corrected manually as soon as it came to light.” https://t.co/7FttR2iZTR
— Daany Saeed (@daanysaeed) December 6, 2023
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Pakistan’s thumping batting performance
The Green Team declared their first innings in the ongoing match, posting a formidable total of 391/9. Skipper Shan Masood played a stellar inning, crafting an impressive double-century with an unbeaten 201 runs. The batting display also witnessed contributions from Babar Azam and Sarfaraz Ahmed, who added 40 and 41 runs to their side’s total, showcasing a well-rounded performance by the top order.
