[Watch] Sakreen nahi hota, screen hota hai" - Shoaib Akhtar mocks Kamran Akmal's English on live TV
Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was recently seen making fun of Kamran Akmal's English on live television. The incident took place just days after he grabbed a lot of attention for criticizing Babar Azam's communication skills.
Akhtar was part of a panel on a show on Pakistan's ARY News. While speaking to the anchor, Akhtar started off by praising Akmal, highlighting how he had contributed significantly to the success of the national team.
Akhtar, however, went on to claim that Akmal, like many other Pakistani players, isn't good at English. He made fun of the 41-year-old, suggesting that he could not even say the word "screen" properly.
"Kami is our match winner...he must be listening to this," Shoaib Akhtar said. "He has played really well for Pakistan. Mai sun raha tha, ye bhi keh raha tha sakreen...sakreen ni hota hai, screen hota hai (I heard him speak, he was saying 'sakreen'. It's screen and not sakreen)."
Shoaib Akhtar is now Taking this Too far from here. He mocked Kamran Akmal on live TV, calling Skreen instead of Screen. I feel bad for Kamran Akmal. This is disgusting. #PSL08 #PSL8 #HBLPSL8 #PSL2023 https://t.co/5Mmx25dAsA
During an interview with Suno News earlier this week, Akhtar claimed that Pakistan captain Babar Azam hadn't been able to establish himself as a brand because of his poor English speaking skills.
Reacting to those comments, Akmal, on a different show, had suggested that the former pacer made those remarks just to remain in the limelight. He also pointed out that Babar was getting more advertisements than Akhtar.
"I did not intend to belittle Babar Azam" - Shoaib Akhtar clarifies his comments on the Pakistani skipper's English
During the aforementioned show, Shoaib Akhtar clarified that his comments on Babar Azam's communication skills were not meant to demean him.
He highlighted that while many compare the Pakistani batter to India's Virat Kohli, it is important to note that Kohli speaks very fluently. Akhtar stated that he wants Babar's brand value to grow exponentially, adding:
"I did not intend to belittle Babar. I only wanted Babar Azam to grow as a brand. You all compare him to Virat Kohli, but you should see how fluently Virat speaks. I believe that Babar Azam is as big as Virat Kohli."
Babar Azam has been a top performer for Pakistan in the recent past. He performed exceptionally well with the bat last year and was honored with the ICC Player of the Year and the ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year awards.