In an interview with Suno news, Akhtar said that Babar and other current modern-era cricketing stars in Pakistan are very poor in communication skills and cannot speak fluent English, which is why they lag behind and are yet to become a brand.
“I’ll tell it openly. Babar Azam should be the biggest brand of Pakistan. Why he hasn’t become the biggest brand of Pakistan? Because he can’t speak. Aur koi ladka hai jo bol sakta ho? (Is there any other guy who can speak),” said Akhtar.
“Abhi aap dekh le, koi character nahi team mein. Naa koi baat karne ka tarika. (You can see there’s no character in the team, nor do they know how to talk.) How awkward it looks when they come to the presentation. Kitna mushkil hai English seekhna aur baat krna? (How difficult is it to learn and speak English?). Cricket is one job, and handling media is another. If you can’t speak, I am sorry, but you won’t be able to express yourself on TV,” he added.
The former 47-year-old cricketer further cited the example of himself, Shahid Afridi and Wasim Akram to prove his argument and said: “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.”
Here’s the video:
However, ex-Pakistan captain Salman Butt backed Babar and hit back at Akhtar for his remarks. Butt said it is the ability of the batter that matters and not the communication skills.
“He (Babar) is a great player. And for a cricketer, only his cricketing skills give him fame. Yes, the fluency in communication and being an articulate speaker adds to your charisma. But this is not a defect. If you’re not an expert in communication, if you’re not a natural, it’s not a defect,” said Butt on his official YouTube channel.
Notably, Babar is currently captaining Peshawar Zalmi in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023, as he was traded from the Karachi Kings ahead of the tournament.
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