'Babar Azam's English isn’t great': Ex-South African when asked to advise Pakistan batter

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Feb 15, 2025, 08:44 IST

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Former South African cricketer Herschelle Gibbs revealed that language barriers make it difficult to effectively coach Pakistani batsman Babar Azam due to his limited English proficiency. Despite this, Babar's approach hasn’t changed much over the years. Babar, urging fans to stop calling him 'King', emphasised the importance of team success over personal accolades as Pakistan heads into the Champions Trophy.

'Babar Azam's English isn’t great': Ex-South African when asked to advise Pakistan batter

Pakistan's Babar Azam. (AP Photo)

NEW DELHI: Former South African cricketer Herschelle Gibbs has admitted that communicating with Babar Azam is challenging due to the language barrier.
Responding to a fan’s query on X (formerly Twitter), Gibbs revealed 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.

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Gibbs, who previously worked with Babar during his coaching stint at Karachi Kings, noted that the star batter has not altered his approach much over the years.

“It was the first time I was working with him so for me it was 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,�?Gibbs remarked.
Azam’s struggles continued in Pakistan’s recent defeat to New Zealand, where he was dismissed for 29 runs off 34 balls while batting first in the tri-series final. For Babar on an individual level, the series could not encourage his return to form.
Babar’s last century came in August 2023, and his form has been under scrutiny since.

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Meanwhile, Babar has urged fans and media to stop calling him “King�? emphasising team progress over personal accolades.
“Please stop calling me King. I am not King, I am not there yet. There are new roles for me now,�?he said in a post-match press conference.
“Whatever I have done before is in the past. Every match is a fresh challenge, and I must focus on the present and future,�?he added.
Following the tri-series defeat, the Men in Green now head into the Champions Trophy, set to begin on February 19, where Pakistan will co-host alongside the UAE. Meanwhile, Team India will play all their matches in Dubai due to security concerns over travelling to Pakistan.
READ ALSO: 'Indian team Pakistan aati toh unko maza ata': Mohammad Amir makes Champions Trophy admission | Exclusive

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