Shoaib Malik: “After hearing that statement, the thing that came in my mind was that he gives his statements bluntly. He has a clean heart and always speaks positively about everyone”
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Shoaib Malik said legendary Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar “has a clean heart” and never meant to offend captain Babar Azam when criticising his speaking skills.
Akhtar had said that Azam “hasn’t become the biggest brand in Pakistan” due to his poor communication skills.
While many were disappointed by the Rawalpindi Express’ comments, Malik came to the 161.3 kph speedster’s defence, saying his views should be respected. He added that Akhtar simply spoke bluntly but wants the best for Azam.
“It’s his [Akhtar] opinion, and yes, we should respect that, only if that opinion is not hurting the sentiment of an individual player. After hearing that statement, the thing that came in my mind was that he gives his statements bluntly. He has a clean heart and always speaks positively about everyone,” he told Cricket Pakistan.
“His statement was not meant to hurt anyone. I understood from his statement that he was only trying to say that it’s the demand of modern cricket to groom your personality along with your cricket skills to become a better brand.”
Azam recently captained Pakistan in a five-match ODI series against New Zealand, where he made 276 runs, which included a century and two fifties, at an average of 55.20.