Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was seen correcting the ‘English’ of his compatriot on LIVE TV. The situation took place when the duo appeared for a discussion on Pakistan’s ARY News with the video going viral all over the internet.

Akhtar, who was talking to the host of a show on Pakistan’s ARY News, first praised Akmal. He said, “Kami is our match winner…he must be listening to this…he has played really well for Pakistan.”

Later, mocking Akmal’s accent, Akhtar said, “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)”.

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“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,” he added.

“Babar is as big a player as Virat Kohli, if you see Virat’s video…he speaks fluently,” the 47-year-old said.

While in another show, Kamran also took a dig at Shoaib and said, “Jitne Babar ad kar rha hai, utne Shoaib Bhai bhi nhi kar rhe honge.” (The number of advertisement Babar is doing these days, I am sure Shoaib (Akhtar) must not be doing as many.)

He is our captain. The world knows him and he’s world’s number 1 player. He’s becoming better in speaking, media handling and everything he’s getting is due to the cricket he is playing. He’s doing fine there.”

While Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi have already expressed their disappointment, former Pakistan captain Younis Khan and former wicket keeper batter Kamran Akmal are the most recent members to do so.

Numerous former cricketers have voiced harsh criticism of Jay Shah, secretary of the BCCI and president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), for his recent announcement regarding India’s reservation from travelling to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023. Many Pakistani athletes who have played international cricket urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to keep its firm stance and not travel to India for the ICC men’s World Cup that will be held next year. Some have even decided not to attend the T20 World Cup match in Melbourne on Sunday.

While Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi have already expressed their disappointment, former Pakistan captain Younis Khan and former wicket keeper batter Kamran Akmal are the most recent members to do so.

On ARY News’, popular cricket talk show Har Lamha Purjosh, the pair discussed the subject. They were all in agreement that Pakistan should host the tournament even if India did not participate.

“I think Jay Shah should not have said that but since the bullet has been fired I would ask the PCB to take a firm stance on this issue, just like we did in the past [after New Zealand called off Pakistan’s tour at the eleventh hour] and as you know those teams have begun to tour the country, but if they [BCCI] decide to stick with their decision then it should not matter to us if the Indian team does not participate in Asia Cup and we should consider not travelling to India for the ODI World Cup the following year, nor we should agree to host Asia Cup at a neutral venue,”

said Younis.

Kamran, on the other hand, went a step further and asked for a complete boycott against India, including the upcoming clash at the T20 World Cup on Sunday.

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“I believe Jay Shah’s statement was unexpected, and since he attended the Pakistan-India game during this year’s Asia Cup, he should reserve politics for his opposition and avoid dragging it into sports, Asia Cup should only be hosted in Pakistan and if that does not happen then Pakistan should not play against India at any level, be it ICC events’ matches, Asia Cup matches, or even their match on October 23,”

the former wicket keeper stated

The PCB released an official statement in this regard on Wednesday. 

“The PCB has noted with surprise and disappointment of yesterday’s comments made by the ACC President Mr. Jay Shah with regards to shifting next year’s Asia Cup to a neutral venue. The comments were made without any discussion or consultation with the Board of the Asian Cricket Council or the Pakistan Cricket Board (event host) and without any thoughts towards their long-term consequences and implications,”

it said in a release.