Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal: “English language, I hate that word. If you know English, you are good; if you are not, then you are bad”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Legendary Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal said he hated it when people told him to speak in England rather than Urdu.
He noted that he prefers to speak in his mother tongue and didn’t listen to those who urged him to learn the English language.
The 45-year-old further expressed his anger towards the fact that Pakistan players who can speak in English are considered “good” while those who can’t or struggle with it are “bad”.
“When I became world number one, some people asked me to learn English, and I told them I will do what I wanted,” Ajmal told Cricwick as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
“If you want to speak in my mother language, then go ahead. I wasn’t shy at all for speaking Urdu. I am world number one; the world will come to me; I have no reason to go and ask for interviews.
“English language, I hate that word. If you know English, you are good; if you are not, then you are bad.”
READ MORE: South Africa batsman Faf du Plessis admits Saeed Ajmal gave him many sleepless nights
Ajmal will now be involved in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) as he is Islamabad United’s assistant coach.
PSL 8 will be played from February 13 to March 19, with the matches to be held in four Pakistan cities – Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi.
Islamabad United’s opening game in PSL 8 will be against the Karachi Kings on February 16 in Karachi.
Islamabad United Squad for PSL 8:Â Alex Hales, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Abrar Ahmed, Colin Munro, Paul Stirling, Rumman Raees, Sohaib Maqsood, Hassan Nawaz, Zeeshan Zamir, Moeen Ali and Mubasir Khan, Tom Curran, Zafar Gohar, Gus Atkinson and Tymal Mills