Pakistan’s Zainab Abbas, who was part of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) digital team for the World Cup in India, has come out on her abrupt departure to Pakistan and issued an apology for her old social media comments.

Within a few days of the World Cup starting, Zainab exited India on Monday, fuelling rumours that she was deported or was sent back by her employers.

Advertisement

However, on Friday, Abbas took to social media, clarifying that she was neither asked to leave nor deported but left India as she was intimidated by the reaction emerging on social media with regards to her old posts.

“I was neither asked to leave nor was I deported,” she wrote in a post on X, (formerly Twitter). “However, I felt intimidated and scared by the reaction that was unfolding online. And even though there was no immediate threat to my safety, my family, and friends from both sides of the border were concerned. I needed some space and time to reflect on what had transpired.”

“I understand and deeply regret the hurt caused by the posts that were circulated. I wish to make clear that they do not represent my values or who I am as a person today. There is no excuse or space for such language, and I sincerely apologise to anyone who was offended,” she added.

According to a media report in a Pakistani daily, there was a “complaint filed in New Delhi by a lawyer, who accused her of posting derogatory tweets targeting the Hindu faith in the past.”

Zainab, a sports journalist and commentator since 2015, became the first woman sports reporter and commentator in 2019 to cover the cricket World Cup from Pakistan.