England pacer Chris Woakes has finally addressed the controversy surrounding his now-viral “King Babar” comment, which he made on Instagram months ago and which many saw as a shot at Babar Azam.
Speaking on Moeen Ali’s podcast Beard Before Cricket, Woakes explained that it was nothing more than a harmless joke between friends and certainly not meant to insult the former Pakistan captain.
Woakes explained the situation unfolded after he said he had developed a friendship with South African all-rounder Wiaan Mulder while playing together in a T20 league. During a Test series between Pakistan and South Africa, there had been a small on-field moment between Babar and Mulder, which later became a talking point on social media.
Pakistani fans, reacting online, reminded Mulder of who “King Babar” was in his Instagram comments. Chris Woakes says he simply decided to join in on the light-hearted banter.
“I played with Wiaan Mulder in the South African league, and during the Test series in Pakistan, there had been a bit of an exchange between him and Babar Azam,” Chris Woakes recalled. “It was just light-hearted fun. We used to joke about it in the dressing room too. But when I commented ‘King Babar’ on one of Wiaan’s photos, fans completely misread it.”
Woakes stressed that his comment wasn’t meant to offend anyone, especially not Babar.
“I didn’t mean anything against Babar. The comment was meant in jest, but fans misinterpreted it as a dig at their captain. They even started targeting me in the comments.
He wrapped up the discussion by acknowledging that fans are passionate, but this situation was simply a case of online miscommunication.
“I completely understand the passion of the fans, but the whole thing was just a misunderstanding.”
While the fans may not have forgiven him yet, both Babar Azam and Chris Woakes seem to have moved on from the episode. The Englishman is currently involved in a tense five-match Test series against India, while Babar Azam’s focus is on regaining his place in Pakistan’s international team.
It is accepted as a freedom of speech, but don’t do this with the BCCI otherwise it will be hard for you to find a place in county cricket.