Earlier this week during the tri-series in New Zealand, Pakistan’s prominent TV show host, Aftab Iqbal, came under fire for criticizing Babar Azam’s egoism and claiming that he was no longer a star in his eyes.
Days later, the all-format captain responded to Aftab’s criticism in an unusual manner, saying “By the way, I don’t know who you are talking about. I don’t even know him. Such things happen whether we lose or win.”
Last night, the renowned TV host seemingly apologized to the star batter, but it did not appear to be a genuine apology as the host attempted to describe himself as a bigger fan of Babar Azam despite not recognizing him as a star.
When questioned in a live show whether he sees any positive aspects of the criticism he received on social media following his statement about the all-format captain, he said, “Countless, it is not the first time,” he added.
The TV host further responded to the question by saying that the most important aspect of the criticism is that the fans think “Daikho Aftab Bhai, aap ki baat ka log bara asar laitay hain so please daikhy wo humara hero hai.”
It is worth noting that Pakistan won the tri-nation series in New Zealand under the captaincy of Babar Azam, who finished the competition as the tournament’s third-highest run-scorer, scoring 192 runs in five innings.