Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar, who became a legend in international cricket by bowling at 100 miles per hour, earned the nickname “Rawalpindi Express” for terrorizing batsmen with his blistering pace. Recently, however, this legendary pacer has come under fire, with a Pakistani TV host and sports journalist threatening to file a defamation lawsuit worth 1 billion rupees against him.
Reportedly, on May 25, a show titled Tamasha aired on a Pakistani TV channel, where Shoaib made comments about TV host Nauman Niaz. In a segment called The Dugout, Shoaib said, “This Nauman Niaz used to carry our bags. That’s the only reason we kept him around.”
This remark sparked outrage from Niaz, who claimed that the statement was defamatory and has since issued a legal notice to Shoaib. The notice states that Shoaib’s comments were false, fabricated, unethical, and damaging to Niaz’s professional reputation.
The notice also highlighted Nauman Niaz’s long-standing involvement with Pakistani cricket, mentioning that he has authored more than 3,500 articles on domestic and international platforms, including Wisden.
Niaz has demanded a public apology from Shoaib within 14 days, failing which he has threatened to file a defamation lawsuit demanding compensation of INR 100 crore. Shoaib Akhtar has not yet responded publicly to the matter.
