Cricreads

Tag: Babar Azam

  • Salman Butt has come to the defense of Babar Azam, after Shoaib Akhtar mocked the batters English skills

    Salman Butt has come to the defense of Babar Azam, after Shoaib Akhtar mocked the batters English skills

    Former Pakistan cricket team captain, Salman Butt, has come to the defense of Babar Azam, who was recently criticized by former cricketer, Shoaib Akhtar, for his English speaking skills. Butt took to his YouTube channel to roast Akhtar and highlight the fact that being fluent in a certain language shouldn’t be considered a weakness.

    Shoaib Akhtar

    Butt firmly believes that performances are more important than language proficiency, and that Babar’s inability to speak English fluently should not be a matter of concern. He pointed out that many sports stars prefer to speak in their own language and have others translate for them, and that it’s important to take pride in one’s mother tongue.

    Butt also responded to Akhtar’s comment that Babar is not a big brand due to his poor English. He highlighted that Babar is already associated with many commercials in Pakistan, and is a brand himself.

    Babar Azam

    Overall, Butt’s message is clear – Babar’s skills on the cricket field are what matter most, and language proficiency should not be a barrier to success or be used to belittle someone. His defense of Babar Azam is a reminder that being multilingual is a skill to be celebrated, not a weakness.

  • Babar Azam responds to Mohammad Amir’s aggression with bat power in PSL 2023

    Babar Azam responds to Mohammad Amir’s aggression with bat power in PSL 2023

    The eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League has already seen its fair share of drama, and the latest one involves Babar Azam and Mohammad Amir.

    Mohammad Amir

    Ahead of their match against each other, Amir made derogatory comments about Babar, but the Pakistani skipper kept his cool and focused on his game. During the match, Babar hit Amir for a four, which seemed to have triggered the latter, as he threw the ball in Babar’s direction after the next delivery.

    In a recent interview with Cricket Pakistan, Babar Azam addressed the incident and responded with a powerful statement. He stated that he does not let opposition players’ aggression affect him and instead channels his aggression through his batting.

    Babar is considered one of the best batter in the world and is currently leading the Lahore Qalandars in the PSL 2023. The tournament has just begun, and fans are eagerly waiting to see more of Babar’s brilliant batting performances.

  • ‘Kitna mushkil hai English seekhna?’ Shoaib Akhtar fired a fresh salvo at Babar Azam

    ‘Kitna mushkil hai English seekhna?’ Shoaib Akhtar fired a fresh salvo at Babar Azam

    Former Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar has fired a fresh salvo at Babar Azam and has explained why he has failed to become the biggest brand in Pakistan. 

    Shoaib Akhtar feels that public speaking in English has become a daunting task for the Pakistani cricket team and has urged Babar and Co. to improve their oratory skills.

    Also read: IND vs AUS: Huge blow for Australia as half of the Australian team returned home ahead of the 3rd Test

    “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,” Akhtar told Suno News. 

    “I want to openly say that Babar Azam should be the biggest brand in Pakistan, but why hasn’t he become the biggest brand in Pakistan? Because he can’t speak,” Akhtar added.

    Babar represented Pakistan in 47 Tests, 95 One Day International (ODIs), and 99 T20Is. Under his leadership, Pakistan finished runners-up at the T20 World Cup in 2022.

  • Babar Azam reacts to Ponting’s ‘isn’t at his peak… still got improvement to come’ remark

    Babar Azam reacts to Ponting’s ‘isn’t at his peak… still got improvement to come’ remark

    Babar Azam was recently adjudged as the winner of the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year for the first time and ODI Cricketer of the Year for the second straight year. 

    Speaking to the ICC after Babar won both the awards, Ponting said that Babar “hasn’t reached his peaks” and that there is still room for improvement in him.

    “He’s probably not (at his peak). Most batters come into their prime in the start of their early thirties,” Ponting said. “You look at where Steve Smith and (David) Warner and those guys have been. Steve Smith is probably playing as well as he’s ever played now, along with guys like Kane Williamson as well in their early thirties.,” Ponting said. 

    Also read: Babar Azam opens up on his ‘This too shall pass’ tweet for Virat Kohli last year

    “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,” he added.

    The Pakistan skipper has now reacted to Ponting’s remark. Babar said that the legend’s words will provide him more confidence to improve his game. 

    “You get confidence when a legendary player gives you a compliment and you try to be better,” Babar told ICC Digital. “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.

    “Because these players have been through a similar stage so they know what mindset I have. They have been through similar scenarios and have knowledge of the game. “So yes, I try to take these comments in a positive way and try to produce my best.” 

  • Babar Azam opens up on his ‘This too shall pass’ tweet for Virat Kohli last year

    Babar Azam opens up on his ‘This too shall pass’ tweet for Virat Kohli last year

    Babar posted the tweet in July 2022, when Kohli hasn’t been in the best of his forms. Just a day before, Kohli was dismissed for just 16 runs in an ODI against England at the Lord’s Cricket Ground.

    Talking on this matter, Babar In an interview with ICC Digital Insider, Zainab Abbas, said, “At that time I thought maybe if I tweet it might give someone help and confidence. See, as a player, you try to back every sportsman in a difficult time.”

    Also read: Top 7 Innings by Virat Kohli: A Cricket Masterclass

    “It is in difficult times when you get to know what you are thinking about others. At that time, I thought I should have done that and maybe something positive will come out of it. Something which can be a plus point.,” he added. 

    Kohli returned to form soon as he scored a 122* against Afghanistan in Asia Cup 2022. He also smashed a stunning 82* against Pakistan in the T20 WC at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

  • “Beta tumse na ho payega…” Suryakumar Yadav fans trolls Babar Azam on Cricket Pakistan’s ‘New Mr 360’ post 

    “Beta tumse na ho payega…” Suryakumar Yadav fans trolls Babar Azam on Cricket Pakistan’s ‘New Mr 360’ post 

    Cricket Pakistan’s official handle recently shared a video of Babar batting in the nets playing certain unorthodox shots with the caption, ‘Babar Azam, the new Mr 360’.

    Sky Babar Azam

    This was not accepted well by many Cricket fans, especially the fans of Suryakumar Yadav. Here are some of their reactions:

    https://twitter.com/i_m_Elias/status/1621746025181630464?t=AFIORM64zGYfQseAXLaUbg&s=19
    https://twitter.com/Mayank_Pandey__/status/1621776007018733568?t=sVvuBEALHWAFXRYz2ZTyIw&s=19

    Also read: Spinner Roelof van der Merwe Demands Suryakumar Yadav’s Presence in SA20

    Suryakumar Yadav has been added to the squad for the first two Test matches against Australia. With Shreyas Iyer being ruled out of the first Test, Suryakumar Yadav has high chance of making it to the playing 11.

  • “He could be the next Babar Azam or Virat Kohli…”, Rashid Latif hails this England star as the next big thing in international cricket

    “He could be the next Babar Azam or Virat Kohli…”, Rashid Latif hails this England star as the next big thing in international cricket

    England have already lost the three-match ODI series against South Africa with a game in hand. Despite England’s disappointing show, former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif was very impressed with Harry Brook as he feels that he could be the next Babar Azam or Virat Kohli.

    Harry Brook

    Speaking on YouTube channel ‘Caught Behind’, Rashid hailed Brook as the next big thing in international cricket while reminding that the youngster was bought by SRH for a whopping INR 13.35 Crores in the IPL 2023 Auction.

    “If you look at Brook’s performance, in the last couple of innings he was just outstanding. He just doesn’t stop. He also became one of the most expensive overseas players in the IPL auction. Brook is now one of the best players in the world at the moment, among the current crop of players. He could be the next Babar Azam or Virat Kohli,” he said.

    Earlier, England Test skipper Ben Stokes also had a similar take on the emerging youngster.

    “He’s one of those rare players that you look across all formats and you can just see him being successful everywhere. It’s a massive shout, but Virat Kohli is one of those guys where his technique is just so simple and works everywhere. The pressure that he puts back on the opposition is exactly what we’re about,” Stokes told Sky Sports after the Pakistan series.

  • “Kohli has scored 74 international tons and he didn’t score a hundred in three years…,” Salman Butt On Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam

    “Kohli has scored 74 international tons and he didn’t score a hundred in three years…,” Salman Butt On Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam

    Babar Azam, the captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team, received two ICC awards this week – ICC ODI Player of the Year and ICC Men’s Player of the Year for scoring nearly 2,600 runs in all formats of international cricket last year.

    Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam

    Babar Azam’s growth in the last 5-6 years has given rise to the debatable topic, ‘Who is a better batsman – Babar Azam or Virat Kohli?’

    While many cricket fans and experts have contrasting views on this topic, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has said that it would not be appropriate to compare the two at this time because Kohli is at a separate point in his career.

    Virat Kohli

    “Both are world class cricketers and top-notch performers. But there’s no comparison with Virat Kohli at this point in his career. Kohli has scored 74 international tons and he didn’t score a hundred in three years. Now you can imagine the magnitude of his performances,” Butt told paktv.tv in a chat.

    “There’s a phase in a cricketer’s life when they perform brilliantly, but then start to struggle. Babar is performing exceptionally right now and we hope he only improves from here. We want him to be the best.

    Babar Azam

    Most role models in Pakistan play exciting cricket, not consistent cricket. After a long time, we now have a player like Babar who tops the charts and we need to enjoy him, cherish him. We don’t want to send him into panic mode,” said Butt further.

    When the interviewer asked the comparative question again, the former Pakistan captain concluded, “There’s no comparison. It’s like comparing Wasim Akram and Shaheen Afridi. It’s not right”.

  • ICC Reveals Men’s ODI Team of the Year; Names Babar Azam as Captain

    ICC Reveals Men’s ODI Team of the Year; Names Babar Azam as Captain

    International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the Men’s ODI team of the year for 2022. Babar Azam, the Pakistani captain, has been named the captain of the ICC ODI team of the year. Shreyas Iyer and Mohammed Siraj are the two Indians who have found a place in the ICC Men’s ODI team of the year.

    ICC men's odi team of the year
    Picture credit: ICC

    Travis Head has been named the opener alongside Babar Azam, while Shai Hope and Shreyas Iyer have been selected as middle-over batters. The role of finishers is given to Tom Latham, who is also the wicketkeeper for the team; Sikandar Raza, the all-rounder who impressed heavily in 202 and Mehindy Hasan Miraz, who played fantastic cricket against India.

    Also read: ICC Reveals Men’s T20I Team of the Year: Virat Kohli, SKY and Hardik Pandya are the 3 Indian Players Included

    Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Siraj and Trent Boult are the three pacers in the team, while Adam Zampa is selected as the first-choice spinner.

  • “But here we are sticking to Babar Azam across formats…” Ex-PAK star slams PCB and puts MS Dhoni as example

    “But here we are sticking to Babar Azam across formats…” Ex-PAK star slams PCB and puts MS Dhoni as example

    Former Pakistani cricketer Danish Kaneria feels that Babar Azam should adopt MS Dhoni’s style of leadership. He also claimed that Pakistan is defending senior players.

    While Pakistan suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of New Zealand, India upstaged New Zealand twice to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Talking about these contrasting performances, former Pakistani spinner Danish Kaneria slammed PCB and questioned the board’s decision to stick with Babar as the all-format captain.

    "But here we are sticking to Babar Azam across formats..." Ex-PAK star slams PCB and puts MS Dhoni as example

    “India have made it clear that Hardik Pandya will look after the T20I team as they move in a new direction without Rohit and Kohli. But here we are sticking to Babar Azam across formats and not changing our teams at all. This is because the players are afraid to get dropped. Once the fear creeps in, the team starts getting on the decline. You will need to take tough calls if you want to make a competitive team,” Kaneria said.

    Also read: “He was neither under consideration by me nor by Babar Azam…” Afridi on PCB’s logic of naming Shan as vice captain

    Danish Kaneria also feels that Pakistan should adopt Dhoni’s style of leadership and avoid defending senior players’.

    “MS Dhoni had a young team in the T20 World Cup and he won with a good fielding side. He has made it clear later that instead of seniors, he wanted players who may score just 15-20 with bat but also stop 15-20 runs in the field. This is the thinking that you need, but we don’t learn. We are going backward and shielding our senior players,” Kaneria added.