Shoaib Akhtar: “I had no intention to belittle Babar Azam. I want Babar to be bigger as a brand. You compare him with Virat Kohli. Look at how Kohli speaks. I want Babar to be as good as Kohli”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Shoaib Akhtar, the 161.3 kph fast bowler, said he had no intention of tarnishing Babar Azam’s name when he said the Pakistan captain couldn’t speak.
Akhtar previously said Azam “hasn’t become the biggest brand in Pakistan” since he lacks the communication skills to do so.
The Rawalpindi Express insisted that he simply wanted the 28-year-old to be better and become just as good as India batsman Virat Kohli.
“I had no intention to belittle Babar Azam. I want Babar to be bigger as a brand. You compare him with Virat Kohli. Look at how Kohli speaks. I want Babar to be as good as Kohli,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam’s most recent assignment for Pakistan saw him score 276 runs in five ODIs against New Zealand, which included a hundred and two half-centuries, at an average of 55.20.