Babar Azam shuts down reporter’s question mocking ‘finished’ Pakistan cricket: ‘Dhindhora nahi peetunga’
Babar Azam wasn’t pleased with the line of questioning from one journalist during the official press conference ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The star batter didn’t mince his words when calling out the reporter. The Pakistan team has been facing a lot of brickbats after suffering a whitewash in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand recently. Earlier, Mohammad Rizwan and co had also failed to reach the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy.
On the tour of New Zealand, Pakistan played five T20Is and three ODIs. The visitors managed to win just one fixture out of eight fixtures, and it is fair to say that the recent results have left much to be desired.
During the official press conference before the start of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), a reporter asked Babar Azam whether the batter would only speak up when Pakistan cricket gets “finished.”
“Maujooda team performances jo chal rahe hain, kis din aap kuch bolenge? Jis don poori team khatam ho jaayegi, tab aap bolenge, kya ho raha hai, kya nahin ho raha hai Pakistan team mein? (Given the current performances of the team, when will you say something? Will you wait until the entire team is finished one day, then you’ll speak, asking what is happening, what is not happening in the Pakistan team?)” the reporter asked Babar Azam.
The former Pakistan captain then said that it is not his job to speak publicly about national team matters, saying he speaks whenever it’s required.
“Jaha mujhe bolna hoga, waha main bolta hu. Aur main media pe baithke nahi bolunga ki kya karna chahiye. Mujhe jaha jo bolna hota hain main kamre ke andar bol deta hu. Main yaha aake dhindora nahi pitunga ki social media me ye honi chahiye, ye meri job nahi hain. (Where I need to speak, I speak. And I won’t sit in the media and say what should be done. When I need to say something, I say it inside the room. I won’t come here and make a big deal about what should happen on social media. That’s not my job),” replied Babar Azam.
Babar Azam standout performer
The right-handed batter was Pakistan’s stand-out performer in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, which the visitors lost 0-3. Babar registered scores of 78,1 and 50 in the three matches, aggregating 129 runs.
Babar Azam was dropped from Pakistan’s T20I squad for the five-match series against the Kiwis, which the visitors eventually lost 1-4.
Speaking of the former Pakistan captain, he will represent Peshawar Zalmi in the upcoming PSL 10, which gets underway on April 11. The team will play their first match of the season against Quetta Gladiators on Saturday, April 12.