Dr. Nauman Niaz, the Pakistan TV anchor who called Shoaib Akhtar 'rude' on air, which resulted in the former pacer quitting the show midway has issued an apology, calling the implications of his actions justified. Regretting his actions, Niaz explained he realised that he inadvertently made people unhappy and added that irrespective of whose mistake it was, it was not a reason strong enough to say what he did.
"The repercussions of my on-air outburst are totally fair. To err is human, that should not have happened and for that, I can apologize for not only once but a million times. I know I hurt the sentiments of a lot of people and that includes Shoaib Akhtar, who has been a rollicking star… regardless of the fact that it was his mistake or not," Niaz told fellow journalist Rauf Klasra on YouTube.
The incident had taken place last week after Pakistan registered a win over New Zealand. Niaz had asked Akhtar whether Pakistan made a mess of the chase, to which the former Pakistan pacer did not agree, and he instead started praising pacer Haris Rauf and credited the Pakistan Super League, whose franchise Lahore Qalandars unearthed the 27-year-old fast bowler.
{{/usCountry}}The incident had taken place last week after Pakistan registered a win over New Zealand. Niaz had asked Akhtar whether Pakistan made a mess of the chase, to which the former Pakistan pacer did not agree, and he instead started praising pacer Haris Rauf and credited the Pakistan Super League, whose franchise Lahore Qalandars unearthed the 27-year-old fast bowler.
{{/usCountry}}The host, clearly annoyed and irritated, told Akhtar that he had been misbehaving with him and he would not tolerate that and in such circumstances it was better if he left the show and than went for a commercial break. "You're being a little rude and I don't want to say this, but if you're being over smart, you can go. I am saying this on air," Niaz said.
After the show commenced, Akhtar asked for an apology from Niaz, which the anchor did not agree to. It was then that the former Pakistan pacer took off his mic and walk out of the show, saying he is resigning from PTV. Now, Niaz pointed out how Shoaib has been a vital component of the experts panel and explained that Akhtar had asked him for a salary hike, which also had a role to play in the exchange.
"Shoaib was contracted with us [PTV Sports] on basis of exclusivity. People think that I'm just the host; they forget that I also sign his [Shoaib Akhtar] salary because I'm the head of the channel. The problem which I was facing is that we give him a retainer throughout the year and these big tournaments are the cash cows in terms of return on investment," said Niaz.
"So we announced him [as part of the show during the World Cup] but after that Shoaib asked me for an increment in his salary or a fixed sum of money apart from his usual retainer. Later, we met the managing director and agreed on a certain figure. I don’t want to disrespect anyone. I’m ready to apologize in front of the whole nation for that inexcusable act as I consider it my duty and obligation."