South Africa Great’s ‘English Not Great’ Jibe At Babar Azam: “Difficult To Get…”

Former South Africa batter Herschelle Gibbs has attacked former Pakistan captain Babar Azam over his English speaking skills, adding that the language barrier makes it hard for others to communicate with him. This isn’t the first time that a current or former cricketer has questioned Babar’s ability to communicate in English. While responding to a fan’s query, who asked Gibbs to give some batting advice to Babar amid his lean patch, the former South Africa opening batter suggested that Babar’s poor communication skills can be a bit challenging for others to put across a thought.

“Hey Gibbs, How about giving some suggestions to Babar Azam like you did back in 2021/2022 during PSL with Karachi Kings? I guess he won’t deny your interference this time,” the fan tweeted.

“Language is an issue with babar .. as you know his English isn’t great so it’s difficult to get points across to him,” Gibbs replied.

Language is an issue with babar .. as you know his English isn’t great so it’s difficult to get points across to him

— Herschelle Gibbs (@hershybru) February 12, 2025

Meanwhile, former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal feels making Babar open is ruining his confidence and the team combination.

Babar, struggling for form, failed to quench his thirst for runs and returned to the dressing room after a ragged 10(23). Kamran feels Babar’s confidence and the team combination are suffering due to the current lineup.

“You are making Babar open. With this decision, the team combination is ruined, and so is Babar’s confidence,” Kamran said on his YouTube channel.

From Tests to ODIs, Babar has continued to endure scrutiny for his inconsistency. However, Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan believes Babar is simply a victim of his own success.

“Babar has scored so many runs for Pakistan that we expect him to score a hundred in each game,” Rizwan was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying. “If we don’t judge him by those extreme expectations, you’ll find he’s still chipping in and contributing valuably for us.”

“As a captain, I expect a lot more of him too because of all he has done in the past,” Rizwan continued. “There is obviously an additional pressure because of it, and I’m sure he feels that too. But if you look at his innings in South Africa, he is still scoring runs. It’s not as if he has clear technical deficiencies, but he is still being tested. I am confident he’ll come out of it.”

(With IANS Inputs)