Umar Akmal Clears The Air Amid Controversy Over Post 'Mocking' Cousin Babar Azam
Umar Akmal has cleared the air amid the controversy surrounding his recent post about Babar Azam, where he compared his own stats with those of the under-fire Pakistan batter.
Veteran cricketer Umar Akmal has cleared the air amid the controversy surrounding his recent post about Babar Azam, where he compared his own stats with those of the under-fire Pakistan batter amid the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. In the viral post, Umar reshared a highlight of his match-winning innings from Pakistan's 2014 T20 World Cup match against Australia. In that game, Pakistan was reeling at 25/2 when Umar walked in and smashed 94 off 54 balls, guiding his team to a win. His post also highlighted Babar's labored knock of 25 off 24 balls against England during the T20 World Cup Super 8 stage.
As a result, his post was perceived as a dig by many. Consequently, Umar has now issued a clarification to address the controversy. Taking to X, he stated that his post was not intended to demean Babar, but rather to highlight his belief that the Pakistan batter is not suited to bat in the middle-order.
"I want to clarify that my aim was never to compare myself with Babar Azam. He is currently one of the top batters in the world, and I have great respect for his achievements. My intention was only to highlight that he is not naturally a middle-order batter in T20 cricket, as that position doesn't fully suit his batting style. There was no comparison - just a point about role suitability in the format. It was just a fan repost and was not deliberately edited in any way," wrote Umar, who also Babar's cousin.
I want to clarify that my aim was never to compare myself with Babar Azam. He is currently one of the top batters in the world, and I have great respect for his achievements. My intention was only to highlight that he is not naturally a middle-order batter in T20 cricket, as that... pic.twitter.com/Agn6l8LVeq
— Umar Akmal (@Umar96Akmal) February 27, 2026
Following his knock against England, Babar's T20 World Cup strike rate dropped to 111.5, the lowest by a batter in the tournament's history (among players with 500 runs). Above him are: Pakistan's Mohammed Hafeez (111.8), Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara (112.2) and New Zealand's Kane Williamson (112.5).
In 23 T20 World Cup matches, Babar has made 640 runs at an average of 33.68 and a strike rate of 111.5, with five fifties in 21 innings.
In the ongoing tournament, he has made just 91 runs in four innings at an average of 22.75 and a strike rate of 112.34, with a best score of 46.
(With ANI Inputs)
Pakistan Cricket Team
Babar Azam
Umar Akmal