Babar Azam called a fraud by Shoaib Akhtar after a poor showing against India

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was disappointed with Pakistan's poor performance against India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Akhtar shouted out at the Pakistan cricket team after they lost by six wickets with 45 balls remaining in the match. 

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He chastised Babar Azam for choosing the incorrect role model and questioned his cognitive process.

Pakistan batted first against India in Dubai after Mohammad Rizwan won the toss. Babar Azam looked good in the middle, hitting his typical cover drives and scoring 23 runs in quick succession, including 5 fours.

However, Hardik Pandya trapped Babar in the same shot, and KL Rahul caught him behind.

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Pakistan used up too many dot balls and failed to get going in the final overs, scoring only 241 runs despite Saud Shakeel scoring 62, Mohammad Rizwan scoring 46, and Khushdil Shah scoring 38.

“Who is Babar Azam’s hero? Tuk-tuk? Shoaib Akhtar

During his appearance on "Game On Hai," Shoaib Akhtar criticized Babar Azam for his performance against India. He talked about Babar’s comparison with Virat Kohli and reminded people that Kohli’s idol is Sachin Tendulkar, and he is going after his 100 international hundreds.

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“We always compare Babar Azam to Virat Kohli. Now tell me who the hero of Virat Kohli is. Sachin Tendulkar and he have scored 100 centuries, and Virat is chasing his legacy,” Shoaib Akhtar said on the show “Game On Hai.”

He went on to say that the same cannot be said for Babar Azam, who is a charlatan and lacks mental capacity. The Rawalpindi Express was so dissatisfied with Pakistan's performance that he said he only wanted to discuss the team because he was being compensated for doing so.

“Who is Babar Azam’s hero? Tuk tuk (without naming any cricketer). You have picked the wrong heroes. Your thought process is wrong. You were a fraud from the beginning. I would not even wish to talk about the Pakistan cricket team. I am only doing this because I am getting paid. This is a waste of time. This deterioration I am seeing has been since 2001. I have worked with the captains, whose personality used to change thrice a day,” said Shoaib Akhtar.

Babar Azam has not scored an ODI century since his 151 against Nepal in 2023 Asia Cup tournament in Pakistan.

Shoaib Akhtar lauds Virat Kohli for his performance against Pakistan.

In the meantime, Kohli led and anchored the Indian chase of 241 runs with a century* in 111 balls with seven fours. This was his 82nd century in all of international cricket and his 51st in ODIs. Virat Kohli, the game-winning batsman for India, finished the evening with an undefeated century, and Akhtar was full of praise for him.

“We have seen this in the past. When you tell Virat Kohli that he has to play against Pakistan, he will score a century. Hats off to him; he’s like a superstar! He’s a white ball run chaser! Modern-day great! No doubt about him. I’m very happy for him. He deserves all the praise,” Akhtar said.

In order to qualify in some way, Pakistan must now overcome Bangladesh in their last game and hope that India defeats New Zealand by a significant margin.

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