During a recent appearance on a local news channel, legendary fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was critical of Pakistan captain Babar Azam's communication skills. He had also pointed out the shortcomings of the Pakistan players, saying that most of them can't speak english properly. As a result, Akhtar was criticised by several current and former Pakistan players. Now, another video of Shoaib Akhtar, this time, mocking former teammate Kamran Akmal on live TV has surfaced on social media.
In the video, Akhtar, while talking to the anchor of ARY News, was seen mocking Akmal, who was present at the studio, for his accent.
"Kami is our match winner...he must be listening to this...he has played really well for Pakistan. Mai sun raha tha, ye bhi keh raha tha sakreen...sakreen ni hota hai screen hota hai (I heard him speak, he was saying 'sakreen'...it's screen and not sakreen)," Akhtar was heard as saying on live TV.
Akhtar then clarified his comments on Babar, saying that his intention was not to "belittle" the Pakistan captain.
"You have to note these things, my intention was not to belittle Babar... he is a brand face...I want him to look that way. Babar is as big a player as Virat Kohli, if you see Virat's video...he speaks fluently," he added.
Reacting to Akhtar's comments, former Pakistan Salman Butt had urged his former teammate not to target a player publicly on live television.
Refuting to Akhtar's claims, Butt had said that a player should focus on honing his cricketing abilities, instead of communication skills.