Zaka Ashraf’s tenure as the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was hit with another controversy after an audio clip allegedly involving him made rounds on social media on Monday.

In the audio clip, a man, supposedly Ashraf, is heard saying that he had a backup plan in case Babar Azam stepped down from captaincy after the ODI World Cup 2023.

“When I told Babar Azam that he should remain Test skipper but leave white-ball captaincy, he told me that he will consult with his family,” he added.

The PCB chief then went on to say that Azam, instead of consulting with his family, called Talha who advised the former skipper to step down from captaincy across all formats.

He stated that he did not appoint Mohammad Rizwan the captain of the white-ball team as the wicket-keeping batter was also allegedly involved with Talha and Babar Azam.

As per the content of the audio clip, Ashraf claimed that Talha is the players’ agent and allegedly has eight national team players under his control. “He even goes to the homes of players and has good relations with their families as well.”

A woman is heard saying in the audio that Shadab Khan played in the team during World Cup 2023 due to his friendship with Azam, to which the man, supposedly Ashraf agrees.

“Hassan Ali also played because he is Babar Azam’s friend,” he said.

Aaj News could not independently confirm the authenticity of the clip.