New Delhi: Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar launched scathing criticism of the Pakistan cricket team after their crushing defeat against India in the Champions Trophy 2025 on Sunday, February 23. India hammered Pakistan by six wickets in the highly-anticipated encounter to bag their second win in a row in the tournament and all but confirm their spot in the semi-finals.
A furious Akhtar slammed the Pakistan team management calling them ‘clueless’ and ‘brainless’ while also taking a dig at star batter Babar Azam. Akhtar labelled former Pakistan skipper Babar a ‘fraud’ from the beginning after the batter failed in the high-profile clash against India on Sunday. Akhtar called Babar a fraud while praising Team India star Virat Kohli, who slammed a match-winning unbeaten ton to take his team home.
Speaking on a panel discussion on Pakistani channel PTV Sports following India’s victory, Akhtar questioned the choice of heroes of the current players in the Pakistan cricket team. Citing the example of Kohli, who idolises the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, Akhtar asked who Babar idolises before calling the Pakistan batter a fraud.
“We always compare Babar Azam to Virat Kohli. Now tell me who is hero of Virat Kohli? Sachin Tendulkar and he has scored 100 centuries and Virat is chasing his legacy,” Shoaib Akhtar said on the show ‘Game on Hai’.
“Who is Babar Azam’s hero? Tuk tuk (Without naming any cricketer). You have picked the wrong heroes. Your thought process is wrong. You were a fraud from the beginning,” he added.
Nah Shoaib Akhtar called Babar Azam a fraud openly 😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/w2Qhvg1qV9
— -invader 🇵🇸 (@sshayaannn) February 24, 2025
Babar opened the innings for Pakistan in the blockbuster clash against India. He did look in great touch and got off to a good start but was dismissed cheaply on 23 off 26 balls, failing to provide his team with a strong start at the top. Pakistan were bundled out for 241 runs after opting to bat first and failed to defend the total as India chased down the target with 45 balls to spare with the help of Kohli’s unbeaten ton.
I don’t want to talk about Pakistan cricket: Shoaib Akhtar
Further expressing his frustrations over Pakistan’s poor show in the Champions Trophy, Akhtar said he doesn’t even want to talk about Pakistan cricket and is only doing it because he was paid to sit on the panel discussion during the show. The former Pakistan pacer said he doesn’t wish to see the current group of player playing for the Pakistan team.
“I don’t even want to talk about Pakistan cricket. I don’t want to discuss these players; I have no interest in wasting my time on them. Had I not been paid money to sit on TV, I would have not even watched them play,” said Akhtar.
The crushing defeat against India was Pakistan’s second straight loss in the Champions Trophy 2025 after they were thrashed by New Zealand in their opening game of the tournament. Pakistan are still not out of the tournament but will need a favour from other teams in order to stand a chance to qualify for the semi-finals.
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar lashed out at Babar Azam and labelled the star batter a ‘fraud’ after his failure against India in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025. India hammered Pakistan by six wickets to push them on the brink of elimination from the tournament. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
