Salman Butt
Salman Butt (Image Credit: Twitter)

Last Update on: February 22nd, 2023 at 02:00 pm

Shoaib Akhtar received criticism from former Pakistani captain Salman Butt for his unexpected jibe at current Pakistan skipper Babar Azam.

Shoaib Akhtar, a former Pakistani speedster, caused an uproar earlier this week when he asserted that Babar Azam, the team’s current captain, is not a household name in the nation because he can’t speak English fluently.

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Akhtar challenged the national team’s character, criticising the players’ communication skills.

“The team has no personality, and they don’t know how to communicate. How awkward it appears when they arrive at the presentation. How difficult is it to learn and communicate in English? Cricket is one thing, and dealing with the media is quite another. I’m sorry, but you won’t be able to express yourself on TV,” Akhtar told Suno News.

The former pacer’s statements quickly gained notoriety following his interview, and Salman Butt, the former captain of Pakistan, retaliated against Akhtar. Butt spoke up for Babar Azam and said that rather than the communication problems, the attention should be on his cricketing prowess.

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“He is a great player. And for a cricketer, only his cricketing skills give him fame. Yes, fluency in communication and being an articulate speaker add to your charisma. But this is not a defect. If you’re not an expert in communication, if you’re not a natural, it’s not a defect,” Butt said on his official YouTube channel as he replied to Akhtar’s criticism.

“Babar Azam is a sensible person. If he doesn’t have a command of a second language, there is nothing bad about it. Many athletes speak their mother tongue intentionally at the top of the podium and ask the translator to convey the message. We should feel proud that we have ownership of our language,” Salman Butt added.

“Babar Azam is himself a brand”- Salman Butt

Salman Butt, a former left-handed batter, said that Babar is under no need to learn the language and is not expected to read the news or provide voiceovers.
“Yes, there is nothing bad in knowing another language. But neither does Babar have to give a voiceover for a drama series, nor does he have to read news on television). Babar is himself a brand. He’s world no.1 consistently; tell me, how many Pakistan players have done that in the last 3-4 decades? The least we can do is give him the credit he’s due. There’s no one better than him,” Salman Butt said.
“The very fact that we are talking about him proves that he’s a brand. You only talk about the person who is relevant. He will learn with time. There are so many players in Pakistan who learned the language when they lived abroad. I don’t know why Akhtar needed to say things like that. We should support him. You don’t need to talk about these things on a public platform. If you really want to see him improve, you should call him, meet him, and tell him in private,” Salman Butt further said.
The 28-year-old Babar won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year in 2022. Moreover, the Lahore-born cricketer won the award for the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year for the second time in a row.