Wahab Riaz responds to Shoaib Akhtar’s criticism of Babar Azam

In response to the issue surrounding Babar Azam and Shoaib Akhtar's comments about his English language skills, Pakistan pacer Wahab Riaz stated that Pakistanis tend to have a preference for things that are not theirs, even when they have their own. 

In an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan, Wahab speaks about the importance of Urdu as it is the national language of Pakistan, but also backs people to learn English for knowledge purpose.

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"We are a complex type of people, in that sense, we have a tendency to prefer what is not ours rather than what is ours. For instance, even if we have a phone, we tend to like someone else's phone more. It is important to comprehend the use of English language worldwide for communication, but Urdu is the national language of Pakistan," he said. 

"Therefore, if someone asks a question in English, whether it be a press conference or post-match conference, there is no need to be shy to answer in Urdu, as it is our national language. On the other hand, gaining knowledge and learning to speak English is necessary, but if one is not able to speak it fluently, speaking in Urdu makes no difference," he concluded.

Few months back, Akhtar, has slammed Azam’s communication skills in an interview with a local TV channel.

Former cricketer said that current cricketers need to be media savvy, in order to further their brand image.

"Cricket is one job and handling media is another job. If you can’t speak, I am sorry but you won’t be able to express yourself on the TV,” Akhtar said.

"I want to openly say this that Babar Azam should be the biggest brand of Pakistan, but why he hasn’t become the biggest brand in Pakistan? Because he can’t speak,” he added.