Ajman (UAE), Sep 30 (PTI) Pakistan legends Zaheer Abbas, Muddasar Nazzer, former World Cup-winning coach Dav Whatmore headlined a one-of-its-kind conclave to celebrate the upcoming Women's World T20 Cup in the UAE from Thursday.
The conclave held on Sunday, marked the 100th episode of Cricket Predicta, Asia's largest cricket talk show.
It featured a distinguished lineup of panelists from six countries, including former UAE cricketer Shahzad Altaf, Zimbabwe women's cricketer Tasmin Granger, former UAE women’s team captain Charvi Bhatt, notable journalists Ayaz Memon, Gautam Bhattacharya, and Majid Bhatti.
During one of the sessions Abbas expressed his frustration and concern over the state of Pakistan cricket, which he believes is undermining the global cricket economy.
"If Pakistan does well at ICC tournaments the overall monetary health of cricket will further improve," he said.
The former ICC President also paid a glowing tribute to his friend, Indian spin legend the Late Bishan Singh Bedi.
Answering a fan question on why the cricketing son-in laws of Kanpur eventually score in tons, just like Gavaskar and himself, Abbas joked "that’s the gift Kanpur city bestows on their son in laws. Just like to Sunny Gavaskar and me.” The conclave included sessions on the future of cricket, the future of cricket journalism and the history of women's cricket.
Talking about the show, Whatmore said: "It is an innovative cricket talk show that marries data with the context of the game. This propels fans' interest and engagement. Completing 100 episodes in six languages across Asia is testament of its success." Cricket Predicta Founder Sunil Yash Kalra, who has also served as the CEO of various televised leagues previously, said: "Cricket Predicta is a unique tribute to cricket fans, who crave for quality tv content." "The data-based talk show on cricket aims to demystify the complex cricket issue in a relatable manner. With the show's success in Asian markets we now aim to transcend towards the Middle East and African markets,” he added. PTI ATK