Pakistan star batter Babar Azam asked reporters to stop calling him ‘King’, stating he isn’t one yet and prefers to see what people call him after retirement. Pakistan star batter Babar Azam requested reporters to stop addressing him as ‘King’ on Thursday. He said he was not a ‘King’ yet and would want to see what people would call him after he retired.
The nickname, awarded to him two years ago and popularized on social media, has repeatedly haunted him, with some former cricketers taunting him in spells of poor form. It has been even more frequent over the past few months, with him not managing an international hundred since his 151 against Nepal in August 2023.
“Pehli baat toh ye King-Shing karna, bolna zara kam karein (Firstly, stop referring to me as a king),” Babar said. “I’m not a king yet. Let’s see what people call me when I retire. Opening is a new position for me, and I’ve undertaken this duty according to the team’s requirements,” he added.
Babar has been entrusted with the opening task in the tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa and the upcoming 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the UAE. Normally a middle-order batsman in 50-over cricket, he is stepping in for injured opener Saim Ayub.
The work did not start on a high note for the tri-series as he scored 10 against New Zealand and 23 against South Africa. New Zealand beat the first game comfortably but in the game against the Proteas, captain Mohammad Rizwan and all-rounder Salman Agha’s hundreds spurred the hosts on to chase down 353 with six wickets in hand.
What I have done earlier is already history. If I continue to think about past performances, I will not perform in the future. Each day is a fresh challenge with a fresh strategy. Successfully pursuing such big totals as today gives a boost to our confidence. In my case, I could not complete the innings, but Rizwan and Salman played wonderfully well today. Such performances give the team more confidence,” Babar added.
