Cricket Australia admitted to there being an error on their live score ticker that resulted in a racist term being displayed during Pakistan’s tour match at Canberra.

Pakistan are touring Australia for three Test matches as part of the 2023-25 World Test Championship as well as the Benaud-Qadir Trophy. Ahead of the series, they are playing a tour game at Manuka Oval, Canberra, against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI.

Shan Masood, the new Pakistan captain, won the toss and opted to bat, and Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq opened batting.

The match was telecast live. On the live score ticker, the home side was represented by PMXI and the tourists with an I after the commonly used PAK.

This caused a stir, with the four-letter word P*** a slur used for people of not only Pakistani origin but from the entire Indian subcontinent. It is considered derogatory in many parts of the world and the Oxford Dictionary classifies the word as ‘offensive’.

A clarifier on this from CA: “The graphic was an automatic feed from a data provider which had not been used previously for a Pakistan game. This was obviously regrettable, and the error we corrected manually as soon as it came to light.” https://t.co/7FttR2iZTR

— Daany Saeed (@daanysaeed) December 6, 2023

The issue was pointed out by Australian cricket journalist Danny Saeed. Cricket Australia amended the display to ‘PAK’ and also issued a prompt statement: “The graphic was an automatic feed from a data provider which had not been used previously for a Pakistan game. This was obviously regrettable, and the error we corrected manually as soon as it came to light.”

Pakistan made 324-6 at close of play. Masood top-scoring with 156 not out. For the hosts, Jordan Buckingham claimed 3-63.

Subscribe to the Wisden Cricket YouTube channel for post-match analysis, player interviews, and much more.