{"id":145365,"date":"2025-05-30T23:42:21","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T23:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/145365\/"},"modified":"2025-05-30T23:42:21","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T23:42:21","slug":"kamran-akmal-fires-back-at-babar-azams-father-after-public-criticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/145365\/","title":{"rendered":"Kamran Akmal fires back at Babar Azam\u2019s father after public criticism"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal has hit back at Azam Siddique, father of Babar Azam, after facing public criticism over his remarks regarding Babar\u2019s future in Pakistan\u2019s white-ball setup.<\/p>\n

The exchange began when Akmal, during a recent podcast, backed the decision to exclude Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from Pakistan\u2019s T20I squad, suggesting that both should now focus solely on the Test format.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my opinion, they should now be kept only for Test matches. Maybe after another six months, they should be considered only for Test cricket,\u201d Akmal said.<\/p>\n

He went on to question their place in ODIs as well, stating: \u201cPakistan hardly plays Test matches these days. No one is even talking about Test cricket. But if any real players are made, it is through playing Test cricket.\u201d<\/p>\n

These comments didn\u2019t sit well with Azam Siddique, who responded on Instagram by posting an old photograph of himself with Babar and Akmal, along with a pointed caption that indirectly accused Akmal of jealousy.<\/p>\n

He reminded Akmal that Babar had never played under his captaincy and recalled an instance where Akmal was dismissed for zero while Babar went on to score a century.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Siddique added, \u201cTalking behind the backs of successful people is a compulsion of those who have failed.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also quoted a Turkish proverb: \u201cIf someone says they are your brother, they should also clarify whether they are like Habil or Qabil,\u201d\u2014a reference to the biblical story of Cain and Abel.<\/p>\n

Following this, Kamran Akmal issued a detailed response on social media, urging Siddique to avoid spreading false narratives and to stay within respectful boundaries.<\/p>\n

\u201cMay Allah bless you with even more success and respect. Being silent is not an option every time, especially when false narratives are being spread,\u201d Akmal wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kindly ask that you think twice before speaking or posting about me without facts. My parents have raised us to never be jealous of anyone, and Alhamdulillah, I\u2019ve proudly represented my country and performed with dignity,” he further wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNext time, please choose your words more carefully. There are clear boundaries, and you\u2019ve crossed them more than once. Stay within your limits. Don\u2019t lose your respect by continuing down this path,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCricket is about performance, not personal agendas. And if you’re going to hint at someone, be clear. Truth doesn’t hide in shadows,\u201d he concluded.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Earlier, Akmal also criticized the involvement of players’ family members in professional matters, noting that he had always advised his own family to stay silent during his tough times.<\/p>\n

\u201cI faced tough times too, but I told my father and brothers not to speak; it was my matter,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not appropriate to speak against the institution either,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The fiery exchange adds another chapter to the ongoing debate about Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan\u2019s roles in Pakistan\u2019s limited-overs setup. Both were left out of the T20I series against New Zealand earlier this year as selectors tested younger talent. Since then, neither has returned to the T20I side.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal has hit back at Azam Siddique, father of Babar…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":145366,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4101],"tags":[62600,5911,1406,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-145365","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cricket","8":"tag-azam-siddique","9":"tag-babar-azam","10":"tag-cricket","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114599437676678147","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/145366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}