Pakistan captain Babar Azam is often mocked for his weak command of the English language as he bobbles during press conferences while former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar also criticized Babar for his weak communication skills.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam is considered one of the best batters in the current era. Babar has scored 4813 runs in 95 ODIs so far, including 17 centuries and 24 half-centuries.
He even led Pakistan to the finals of the 2022 Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup, where his side ended as the runners-up in both mega-events.
However, the 28-year-old batter is often mocked for his weak command of the English language as he bobbles during press conferences. Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar also criticized Babar for his weak communication skills.
“Cricket is one job and handling media is another job. If you can’t speak, I am sorry but you won’t be able to express yourself on TV. I want to openly say that Babar Azam should be the biggest brand in Pakistan, but why he hasn’t become the biggest brand in Pakistan? Because he can’t speak,”
Cricket Pakistan quoted Akhtar as saying.
“Is there any other cricketer who can speak well? Why do only I, Shahid Afridi, and Wasim Akram get all the advertisements? The reason is that we take it as a job,”
he added.
Recently, Babar also thanked former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting for showing belief in him during an episode of The ICC Review.
Ponting had said,
“I think Babar’s still got a little bit of improvement to come, which is a pretty scary thought with what he’s been able to do, pretty much across all three formats over the last three, four years. I love watching him play. I think there’s some room for improvement, let’s hope we see it.”
Babar said it was a great thrill to hear what Ponting had said and that it boosts his further confidence.
“You get confidence when a legendary player compliments you and you try to be better. When such a huge player passes positive comments, it adds to your confidence and you have it in your mind that such a huge player is talking good about you,”
Babar told ICC Digital.
“Because these players have been through a similar stage so they know what mindset I have. They have been through similar scenarios and know the game. So yes, I try to take these comments positively and try to produce my best,”
he added.