'Kitna mushkil hai English seekhna?': Shoaib Akhtar's bizarre jibe at Babar Azam; 'I want to openly say that...'

Shoaib Akhtar has fired a fresh salvo at Babar Azam in an explosive interview. Akhtar also explained why the star batter has failed to become the biggest brand in Pakistan.

One of the most feared fast bowlers in the history of the game, pace ace Shoaib Akhtar has fired a fresh salvo at Babar Azam's Pakistan in an explosive interview. Launching a scathing attack on the Pakistan side, the legendary cricketer has urged Babar and Co. to improve their oratory skills. Nicknamed the Rawalpindi Express, the former cricketer feels that public speaking in English has become a daunting task for the Pakistani cricket team.

Shoaib Akhtar has fired a fresh salvo at Babar Azam in an explosive interview(Getty Images - Reuters)

Akhtar, who is no stranger to courting controversies in the world of cricket, openly admitted that Babar should become the biggest brand in Pakistan. However, Akhtar ended up taking a sly dig at Babar and Co. while explaining the shortcomings of the Pakistani players in an interview with a local Pakistani channel.

"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.

The legendary Pakistani pacer then called out Babar and explained why the star batter has failed to become the biggest brand in Pakistan. "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 observed.

Earlier, Pakistan's all-format captain Babar had emphasised that his primary job is to play cricket when the star batter was castigated by ex-cricketer Tanvir Ahmed over his inability to communicate well in English. "I'm a cricketer, my job is to play cricket. I am not a 'gora,' who knows English completely. Yes, I am working on it, but you learn these things over a period of time, you can't just suddenly learn it," Babar had said.

Premier batter Babar has played 47 Tests, 95 One Day International (ODIs), and 99 T20Is for Pakistan. Under his leadership, former champions Pakistan finished runners-up at the T20 World Cup in 2022. The Batting superstar is leading the Peshawar Zalmi franchise in the 2023 edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Babar's Peshawar Zalmi will meet Islamabad United in match No.12 of the PSL 2023 at the National Stadium in Karachi on Thursday.