Shaheen Afridi blasts Shoaib Akhtar over 'brand' statement

 

Pakistan speedballer Shaheen Shah Afridi recently took a jab at former speedster Shoaib Akhtar's controversial "brand" statement involving fan-favourite cricketer Babar Azam.

The affair is quite well-known and has garnered Akhtar great criticism for his comments on the skipper's speaking skills from Babar's fans.

As soon as the comments became viral, Babar's fans and supporters started to troll the former pacer. The prolific batter had received support not only from fans but also from various co-players and former cricketers alike.

This time around, Pakistan's pace sensation Shaheen showed support for his captain in an indirect way during an interview with a local channel, taking a cheeky dig at the former paceman for his demeaning comments.

When the interviewer asked which quality of Shoaib Akhtar does he like, Afridi smilingly said: "[Akhtar] makes a brand very well."

A meme video of this part of the interview is going viral on social media.

What did Shoaib Akhtar say?

Akhtar in an interview had questioned Babar's inability to emerge as the "biggest brand" of the country amid a stellar cricket career.

"I want to openly say that Babar Azam should be the biggest brand in Pakistan, but why hasn't he become the biggest brand in Pakistan? Because he can’t speak," he had said during a TV show.

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

He had said that he did not intend to disparage Babar Azam, who "needs to improve himself if he wants to be a big brand".