Former South African opener Herschelle Gibbs has made a startling revelation that communicating with Babar Azam is challenging due to the language barrier.
His statement came when a fan asked him on social media to offer some suggestions to the struggling Pakistan batter. Notably, Gibbs has previously worked with Babar during his coaching stint at Karachi Kings.
Responding to the query, Gibbs said that Babar’s English proficiency makes it difficult to convey coaching points effectively.
"Language is an issue with Babar.. as you know his English isn’t great so it’s difficult to get points across to him," he wrote on X.
Gibbs also mentioned that the Pakistan star has not altered his approach much over the years.
“Was the first time I was working with him so for me it was a more an observation than anything else but what I’ve seen since then is he hasn’t changed his approach and still plays with the same tempo and same shots,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, Babar Azam has urged fans and media to stop calling him ‘King’, stating that he isn’t one yet and would prefer to see what people call him after retirement.
This tag was given to Babar a few years ago when he was scoring runs consistently. However, it has come to haunt him lately due to an extended lean patch, with some former cricketers using the same to taunt him.
“Pehli baat toh ye King-Shing karna, bolna zara kam karein (Firstly, stop calling me a king)," Babar said.
“I’m not a king yet. Let’s see what people call me when I retire. Opening is a new role for me, and I’ve taken on this responsibility as per the team’s needs," he added.
Babar has been under the scanner for his failure to play a significant knock in the last couple of years. His last international century came against Nepal in August 2023.
The right-hander returned with scores of 10, 23 and 29 in the just-concluded ODI tri-series against South Africa and New Zealand.
Babar Azam will now look to make amends in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, slated to get underway on February 19 in Karachi.
