Babar Azam - the lack of English debate

[gazza619]

Non issue. Just win matches Babar.

 

[Saj]

I just want Babar to do an Inzi tribute post-match one of these days.

First of all......

The boys played well....

 

[JattMaula]

English is the lingua franca of cricket but its not huge deal if he isn't comfortable speaking it.

 

[Thanos]

People need to know difference between 'Good to have' and 'Must to have' skills.
English is a good to have but not must to have skill for players.

I would prefer Urdu/punjabi speaking Babar scoring runs, winning matches for team rather than English speaking Babar like Ramiz or Sanju manju and losing matches.

 

[TheNightWatchman]

I just want Babar to do an Inzi tribute post-match one of these days.

First of all......

The boys played well....

I'm surprised nobody has done it. It's iconic

 

[Rajdeep]

Because English isn’t a fundamental aspect of anyone’s life in Pakistan. I remember there was a time where it was normal to make fun of people who don’t speak English in Pakistan. However, if you see someone do it now, people will stand up in flocks for the person that doesn’t speak English.

I speak and write English as well as any native English speaker. However, this is not something I am proud of. It’s just an aspect of me. You can easily survive and do very well for yourself in Pakistan without speaking English. Just because we have a commonwealth heritage does not mean that we need to fully adopt the language of our former colonial masters.

Aside from that, I would expect you to know that while the British did establish a colony in India, they did not have extensive control over India. India was still effectively independent in the sense that there were multiple princely states across the country that operated with a large degree of autonomy. It wasn’t like the colonies in Australia and New Zealand or other places. Therefore, Indians and Pakistanis have not become completely British - and thankfully so, we have very strong cultures of our own.

In addition to that, Pakistan is slowly moving toward making Urdu the medium language in schools, not English.

And why is Babar’s Urdu weak? Because it is not his native language. His Punjabi will be stronger.

So Pakistan is like many European countries where English speaking is a 'good to have' skill but not mandatory?

Surprising because its totally opposite in India where English is must. If you cant communicate in English you wont get a job anywhere in any good organization. Every job interview you go for spoken english is mandatory. Also, society looks down upon you if your english is weak. Let me put it this way, English is almost the official language of India in 2021.

As a result, most education system in India are in English. Hindi or other regional language boards are almost but extinct. Thankfully I can read, write & speak in english, hindi and bangla (my mother tongue) but my cousins can neither read or write bangla bcoz their school never taught those. They are doing totally fine in their life though because they can speak in English. If the situation was other way, where they knew bangla but not english, most jobs and corporate doors would have been closed for them.

 

[Greenstorm]

Babar is an introvert and hence a poor communicator.

I am sure he knows more English than someone like Ajmal but he lacks Ajmal's confidence to speak it.

Still a non issue though.

 

[Cryin Out Loud]

Why is this even a debate. Fluency in English isn't the criteria for anything at all.

We are making ourselves the prisoners of a misconception if we give a comparatively foreign language so much importance.

 

[Varun]

Surprising because its totally opposite in India where English is must. If you cant communicate in English you wont get a job anywhere in any good organization. Every job interview you go for spoken english is mandatory. Also, society looks down upon you if your english is weak. Let me put it this way, English is almost the official language of India in 2021.

Probably because English is needed to transcend across state borders in India, especially south of the Vindhyas.

Pakistan seems more homogenous in comparison.

 

[cric_4life]

Was never in favour of English but Now I feel he should learn it. It will give him confidence to talk to the opposition. Cmon man he has played international cricket for freaking 5 years now.
Babar should learn how to speak in English.

 

[CaptainIce]

Wow I cant believe that we are having this debate. I haven't looked at data but I'm pretty sure and willing to bet, that Asia has the largest viewership of Cricket. I don't see the problem with Babar having a translator, his job is too play cricket. Look at Canelo in Boxing, he doesn't give a sh*t ,or even the Chinese. this is a gora complex that some of the posters here have and hence why will always have an inferiority mindset.

 

[Rajdeep]

Probably because English is needed to transcend across state borders in India, especially south of the Vindhyas.

Pakistan seems more homogenous in comparison.

Pakistan is also multi lingual, not as much as India but still is. They speak in Urdu, Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Balochi etc. I dont think everyone in Pakistan understands Urdu but I can be wrong though.

 

[silentkiller187]

Let the cricket do the talking and people will want to dress and talk like babar, thats how this works, he needs to stay true to himself.

 

[Hasan123]

As a captain he is going to be speaking to the media a lot. The main language in cricket is in English. So he should learn the basics. It is a bit worrying that he has been captain for a while and has not interest in learning English. Speaking English fluently will mean he get more exposure and better career opportunities when his career finishes. More exposure for Babar benefits Pakistan. More exposure could mean better sponsorship deals which could increase revenue for the PCB.

It is a bigger deal tha some on here think. If he doesn’t want to learn, it’s his decision. But learning it benefits him and Pakistan cricket. His lack of interest to learn it is worrying.

 

[Rana]

As a captain he is going to be speaking to the media a lot. The main language in cricket is in English. So he should learn the basics. It is a bit worrying that he has been captain for a while and has not interest in learning English. Speaking English fluently will mean he get more exposure and better career opportunities when his career finishes. More exposure for Babar benefits Pakistan. More exposure could mean better sponsorship deals which could increase revenue for the PCB.

It is a bigger deal tha some on here think. If he doesn’t want to learn, it’s his decision. But learning it benefits him and Pakistan cricket. His lack of interest to learn it is worrying.

Is it really worrying? Somerset County don’t seem to have an issue with it..

 

[Sunny_majoka]

Pakistan is also multi lingual, not as much as India but still is. They speak in Urdu, Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Balochi etc. I dont think everyone in Pakistan understands Urdu but I can be wrong though.

Everyone in Pakistan understand and speak urdu.

 

[TheNightWatchman]

As a captain he is going to be speaking to the media a lot. The main language in cricket is in English. So he should learn the basics. It is a bit worrying that he has been captain for a while and has not interest in learning English. Speaking English fluently will mean he get more exposure and better career opportunities when his career finishes. More exposure for Babar benefits Pakistan. More exposure could mean better sponsorship deals which could increase revenue for the PCB.

It is a bigger deal tha some on here think. If he doesn’t want to learn, it’s his decision. But learning it benefits him and Pakistan cricket. His lack of interest to learn it is worrying.

Speaking English is something you learn through experience. Wasim, Shoaib, Afridi if you listen to their post match interviews early in their career improved a lot once they started speaking more. It's all confidence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu65wr38-ic shoaib early in his career
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-pI4dEqdgk shoaib in 2010
I really liked how Ramiz interviewed Shaheen in English in the 2019 WC and Shaheen isn't one who shy's away from speaking English, despite his lack of ability. And if you compare his interviews from 2019 compared to the ones he did in 2020 for the Natwest T20 there was definite improvement. So in my opinion he should atleast try to speak more. If he's able to understand he should be able to speak too.

 

[The_KING]

Not all of us have lingering colonial servant mentalities like yourself -- we are not embarrassed at all.

I love the fact Babar Azam speak Urdu. I have never heard Messi speak in English either.

Mentality like that is the reason why Pakistan is so far behind other countries not just in cricket, but in everything. We just don’t want to improve ourselves.

I absolutely love this argument that Messi doesn’t speak English, as a way to justify Pakistani players lack of English speaking ability. This argument makes no sense. Football is a different sport to cricket. In football, domestic football has a bigger following than international football. It is what most people care about. Messi plays his domestic football in Spain and he speaks Spanish fluently. He doesn’t need to speak English.

In cricket, international cricket is what most fans care about. It is more important. Whether you like to admit it or not, English is an international language. That’s the language people from different backgrounds and countries use to communicate. If your captain can’t speak English, it is not acceptable. I understand that a lot of our players aren’t from an educated background, but surely someone like Babar has to make an effort to at least improve his English. He isn’t some novice anymore.

 

[TheNightWatchman]

Mentality like that is the reason why Pakistan is so far behind other countries not just in cricket, but in everything. We just don’t want to improve ourselves.

I absolutely love this argument that Messi doesn’t speak English, as a way to justify Pakistani players lack of English speaking ability. This argument makes no sense. Football is a different sport to cricket. In football, domestic football has a bigger following than international football. It is what most people care about. Messi plays his domestic football in Spain and he speaks Spanish fluently. He doesn’t need to speak English.

In cricket, international cricket is what most fans care about. It is more important. Whether you like to admit it or not, English is an international language. That’s the language people from different backgrounds and countries use to communicate. If your captain can’t speak English, it is not acceptable. I understand that a lot of our players aren’t from an educated background, but surely someone like Babar has to make an effort to at least improve his English. He isn’t some novice anymore.

Ronaldo could barely speak english when he started with Man U. But he realised he had to learn to speak English to deal with the interviewers there. I mean you can learn enough to get by in routine life but it's a different ball game when you're being interviewed on live tv or by journalists. And cricket being a colonial sport where the standard language is english, he should at least try.

 

[Bewal Express]

It's preferable but not a big issue. Let his runs speak English

 

[The_KING]

Ronaldo could barely speak english when he started with Man U. But he realised he had to learn to speak English to deal with the interviewers there. I mean you can learn enough to get by in routine life but it's a different ball game when you're being interviewed on live tv or by journalists. And cricket being a colonial sport where the standard language is english, he should at least try.

Exactly. Ronaldo could barely speak English when he first came to United but now his English is so much better, because he made an effort to improve his English. Babar is making zero efforts to improve his English and that is worrying.

 

[Sunzi]

Mentality like that is the reason why Pakistan is so far behind other countries not just in cricket, but in everything. We just don’t want to improve ourselves.

I absolutely love this argument that Messi doesn’t speak English, as a way to justify Pakistani players lack of English speaking ability. This argument makes no sense. Football is a different sport to cricket. In football, domestic football has a bigger following than international football. It is what most people care about. Messi plays his domestic football in Spain and he speaks Spanish fluently. He doesn’t need to speak English.

In cricket, international cricket is what most fans care about. It is more important. Whether you like to admit it or not, English is an international language. That’s the language people from different backgrounds and countries use to communicate. If your captain can’t speak English, it is not acceptable. I understand that a lot of our players aren’t from an educated background, but surely someone like Babar has to make an effort to at least improve his English. He isn’t some novice anymore.

My view entirely. English is the topic at hand but it's just an example of the general mentality and approach towards self-betterment.

"I'm proud to be Pakistani - I will not speak English - why should I?"

That's why we are still where we are with 120KG Sharjeel's and Azam Khan's actually in the fold to represent Pakistan.

It isn't a requirement, it doesn't affect cricket - does that mean that one should not try to better themselves and present themselves in the best possible light?

Like I said, today it's English... but it's the mindset in general towards most things like fitness, nutrition, education, fielding, discipline etc.

Learning English has nothing to do with having an inferiority complex. It's about bettering oneself.

 

[Hasan123]

Speaking English is something you learn through experience. Wasim, Shoaib, Afridi if you listen to their post match interviews early in their career improved a lot once they started speaking more. It's all confidence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu65wr38-ic shoaib early in his career
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-pI4dEqdgk shoaib in 2010
I really liked how Ramiz interviewed Shaheen in English in the 2019 WC and Shaheen isn't one who shy's away from speaking English, despite his lack of ability. And if you compare his interviews from 2019 compared to the ones he did in 2020 for the Natwest T20 there was definite improvement. So in my opinion he should atleast try to speak more. If he's able to understand he should be able to speak too.

He should try once he learns the basics and stuff. If he doesn't even know the basics, there is no need to force him to try.

 

[Hasan123]

Is it really worrying? Somerset County don’t seem to have an issue with it..

He isn't the captain of Somerset. He is the captain of Pakistan and speaking to the media regularly.

Also he probably won't have many interviews at Somerset because they know his English is not great. So as I said he is missing out on more exposure by not learning it. But it's upto him.

I'm just thinking about the betterment and growth of Pakistan cricket.

 

[topspin]

Speaking English is something you learn through experience. Wasim, Shoaib, Afridi if you listen to their post match interviews early in their career improved a lot once they started speaking more. It's all confidence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu65wr38-ic shoaib early in his career
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-pI4dEqdgk shoaib in 2010
I really liked how Ramiz interviewed Shaheen in English in the 2019 WC and Shaheen isn't one who shy's away from speaking English, despite his lack of ability. And if you compare his interviews from 2019 compared to the ones he did in 2020 for the Natwest T20 there was definite improvement. So in my opinion he should atleast try to speak more. If he's able to understand he should be able to speak too.

Yeah but even from his interview earlier in his career, you could see his personality and swag. Babar doesn't have that.

 

[shamaan]

I dont see a problem that he doesnt speak english he should stick to what he prefers to speak.

 

[ChTab]

I just want Babar to do an Inzi tribute post-match one of these days.

First of all......

The boys played well....

Ah, the good old days.

Boys played well but

 

[ChTab]

I dont see a problem that he doesnt speak english he should stick to what he prefers to speak.

Real problem is that he can't even speak Urdu properly. I once saw his interview during lockdown conducted by Harsha & tbh it was one of the most embarrassing things I ever watched.

 

[shamaan]

Real problem is that he can't even speak Urdu properly. I once saw his interview during lockdown conducted by Harsha & tbh it was one of the most embarrassing things I ever watched.

Its proberly a lack of confidence becouse i thought the same thing that he wasnt speaking properly

 

[Bigboii]

It's a communication issue

Look at Fakhar and his recent interviews and you can clearly see the difference between the two in communication

For Babar it's was an effort, for Zaman he was much more comfortable

For both urdu isn't there mother tounge and they have an accent when speaking urdu

So "language" isn't the issue for.babar it's plain simple communication issues

 

[globalcitizen]

I would advice to leave alone Babar and he will devise his own methods.

Regarding the actual problem it should not be brushed under carpet here. The problem lies with PCB, when they identified someone to lead team in future they should have developed his interpersonal and leadership skills. I absolutely don't mind if he can't speak in English, but not able to communicate being a leader is concerning

at international level he should be able to engage with other players, understand their body language, these lack skills are going to hamper his leadership skills but nothing to suggest he won't be successful

He can still lead by example and other players will follow

 

[Saj]

I don't think Babar is a natural leader despite him having captained at all levels in Pakistan cricket and obviously having been groomed for captaincy from a young age.

What I mean by natural is that he isn't someone who comes across as a driving force in the dressing room who will grab the team by the scruff of the neck and drive it forward when they are struggling.

However good captains come in many guises, what works for one, doesn't necessarily mean it will work for another.

 

[IMMY69]

I think he needs to learn English.
Not that it should be a criteria for playing and captaining the national side but because he plays abroad and should make an effort to speak in the hosts language.

Furthermore, and more importantly, if he's playing foreign leagues including country cricket than surely he needs to be able to communicate with his non Urdu/Punjabi speaking colleagues?

However it is not the be all and end all.

 

[Liverpool_Faizan]

no need to learn english

in fact even if he spoke english well, he should be doing all post games and press conferences in Urdu as the majority of people in Pakistan speak Urdu and thats who he is catering to. Only if he is interviewing or speaking with a foreign tv channel/outlet should he speak in english.

 

[TheNightWatchman]

I don't think Babar is a natural leader despite him having captained at all levels in Pakistan cricket and obviously having been groomed for captaincy from a young age.

What I mean by natural is that he isn't someone who comes across as a driving force in the dressing room who will grab the team by the scruff of the neck and drive it forward when they are struggling.

However good captains come in many guises, what works for one, doesn't necessarily mean it will work for another.

It's also a lot to do with him leading senior players who have been playing longer than he has. And it's a weird Pakistani issue where for some reason a younger player can't be the "boss" of a senior player. When Sarfraz was keeping in the 3rd ODI he was giving out more instructions than Babar, he did the same in the England T20s earlier last year.

Remember the 90s when everyone was being given a shot at being captain. Then finally settling on Inzi 2003 onwards because there were no other senior players to challenge his position. Once Inzi retired it was the same captaincy debate.

The problem now is that he's the only player in the side who can be/is a consistent face so there's nobody left to challenge his position as captain. He should have been groomed better by previous captains to take that leadership role. I remember Younis was always next to Inzis ear as vice captain and was expected to take the reigns. Babar never had that exposure and thats on Sarfraz/ Azhar Ali.

 

[TheNightWatchman]

If Rizwan could get through that man of the match interview with that broken English I don't see why Babar can't try. Rizwan looked pretty confident.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">No blame on the player, but if Urdu is your first language then do your interviews in Urdu and use a translator <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1413180179573317636?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Babar_Azam_fan]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">No blame on the player, but if Urdu is your first language then do your interviews in Urdu and use a translator <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1413180179573317636?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I'd disagree. Let him speak in English, even of it's "funny". That's how he's going to improve

 

[Donal Cozzie]

Language diversity should be celebrated and encouraged, not something to be ashamed of.

No issue whatsoever if players use interpreters. I'd actually like to see more of it, be cool seeing Saffers use Afrikaans and so on.

 

[Savak]

Lol at the impatience. The PCB has appointed him, now stick with him for 3-4 years and go through the process of rebuilding like all the other teams do.

 

[SangasCoverDrive]

He should watch English Vinglish and enroll into the course in which he can learn English in 4 weeks.

 

[El Generico]

I'd disagree. Let him speak in English, even of it's "funny". That's how he's going to improve

So he should make a fool of himself on TV just so he can improve on a skill that is not even related to his profession?

I mean there is nothing wrong with learning English, it’s a nice little bonus but being forced to speak in front of millions is not the best way to learn.

Azam can take classes in his spare time if he wants as long as it doesn’t interfere with his actual job.

 

[Babar_Azam_fan]

So he should make a fool of himself on TV just so he can improve on a skill that is not even related to his profession?

I mean there is nothing wrong with learning English, it’s a nice little bonus but being forced to speak in front of millions is not the best way to learn.

Azam can take classes in his spare time if he wants as long as it doesn’t interfere with his actual job.

It's related to his profession

 

[OmarKhan99]

It's related to his profession

Communicating is a part of his profession. Not communicating in English.

It'd be a bonus for Babar to speak English, as that would allow him to express his thoughts without relying on the translator's ability. However, to make it a requirement (not referring to you specifically) is ludicrous.

 

[Mamoon]

As a cricket captain, you are put in a position where you have to speak/listen to to English very frequently.

Every job has requirements. Why is it a crime for a cricket captain to work on his English?

English is the de facto language of cricket because it is either played by English speaking nations or (ex) commonwealth countries, so please don’t give nonsense examples of other sports.

I would have been richer than I am now if I had a dollar for every time I heard the “but Messi and Nadal cannot speak English either” nonsense.

Once again, none of that applies to cricket and cricketers.

As far as Babar is concerned, if he is so proud of Urdu, why does he feel the need to pay his social media manager to post in flawless English on his behalf on Twitter, Instagram etc.?

He cannot even read a sentence that his social media handler writes for him, so what is the point?

Why not tweet and post in Urdu if you are so proud of your heritage and culture?

If an “angraiz” is interested in what he has to say on social media, he can always translate.

It is comical to see him struggle to string a sentence in English and then 10 mins later he drops a tweet or an Instagram post with flawless English.

However, the fact that Babar cannot even express himself properly in Urdu and is embarrassing to listen to is a whole different tragedy.

Nevertheless, it is PCB’s job to work on the communication skills of the players in the NCA.

No one is asking them to read Shakespeare’s sonnet; all they need to do is having a general/basic grasp that some of our players have.

It is embarrassing to watch our players hide behind translators or misinterpret what the reporter is trying to say.

The infamous incident between Umar Akmal and an Australian journalist in the 2014 WT20 springs to mind.

And please, keep the “you have colonial mentality” nonsense to yourself. Tell that to the players who cannot speak English but will pay their social media managers to post in English on their behalf.

Embarrassing to say the least.

 

[Varun]

Why doesn't Babar speak in Punjabi if he's most fluent in that?

It needn't be Urdu.

 

[Babar_Azam_fan]

Communicating is a part of his profession. Not communicating in English.

It'd be a bonus for Babar to speak English, as that would allow him to express his thoughts without relying on the translator's ability. However, to make it a requirement (not referring to you specifically) is ludicrous.

I'd disagree

 

[Varun]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congratulations to New Zealand on this remarkable feat. WTC is indeed a premier contest and you can't succeed without perseverance and dedication. Team India also put up a great show through out the tournament. Awesome contest! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WTC21?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WTC21</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvNZ?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvNZ</a> <a href="https://t.co/KbQVDNVCpS">pic.twitter.com/KbQVDNVCpS</a></p>— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) <a href="https://twitter.com/babarazam258/status/1407803707698393099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"Premier" Perseverance" "Dedication"

This is why I loved Trump. You knew it was HIM controlling his Twitter, not some PR guy.

 

[Rana]

Well he did try yesterday. Was rehearsed but still better than his usual surrender to Urdu.

I don’t understand what is wrong with these Model town boys (Akmals). They were probably well off before cricket and could afford to send their kids to a decent English medium school. They are all so pathetic when it comes to speaking English now but they try their best to put across a western image of themselves on Social media.

Umar Akmal with his Balmain shirts lol...

 

[Major]

Also regarding english on social media.

Social media accounts are handled by Marketing agencies who schedule or make posts. Not only cricket players, but politicians and celebrities have their FB and Insta accounts handled by marketing agencies.

having worked for a digital marketing company i had came across some such accounts of politicians

 

[Titan24]

Well by the looks of it he is trying. Yes his first interview without translator wasn’t great but, I guess he can be given bit if levy here. Needs to put in more free time on this if he wants to improve which by the looks he does want to.

Not sure if PCB has provided him with the necessary resources or not. I think they should for all the players wanting to improve their non cricketing side of the things during off season but, even if they haven’t and Babar really wants to learn than I am pretty sure he can afford personal language classes.

Though in recent times with covid and remaining in bubble for long periods might have made it difficult to use many such resources in person.

 

[Bhaijaan]

As a cricket captain, you are put in a position where you have to speak/listen to to English very frequently.

Every job has requirements. Why is it a crime for a cricket captain to work on his English?

English is the de facto language of cricket because it is either played by English speaking nations or (ex) commonwealth countries, so please don’t give nonsense examples of other sports.

I would have been richer than I am now if I had a dollar for every time I heard the “but Messi and Nadal cannot speak English either” nonsense.

Once again, none of that applies to cricket and cricketers.

As far as Babar is concerned, if he is so proud of Urdu, why does he feel the need to pay his social media manager to post in flawless English on his behalf on Twitter, Instagram etc.?

He cannot even read a sentence that his social media handler writes for him, so what is the point?

Why not tweet and post in Urdu if you are so proud of your heritage and culture?

If an “angraiz” is interested in what he has to say on social media, he can always translate.

It is comical to see him struggle to string a sentence in English and then 10 mins later he drops a tweet or an Instagram post with flawless English.

However, the fact that Babar cannot even express himself properly in Urdu and is embarrassing to listen to is a whole different tragedy.

Nevertheless, it is PCB’s job to work on the communication skills of the players in the NCA.

No one is asking them to read Shakespeare’s sonnet; all they need to do is having a general/basic grasp that some of our players have.

It is embarrassing to watch our players hide behind translators or misinterpret what the reporter is trying to say.

The infamous incident between Umar Akmal and an Australian journalist in the 2014 WT20 springs to mind.

And please, keep the “you have colonial mentality” nonsense to yourself. Tell that to the players who cannot speak English but will pay their social media managers to post in English on their behalf.

Embarrassing to say the least.

Some uncle aunty type person will come here and say English is foreign language hence its ok to be bad at it.

Proud of our culture and all that crap.

 

[Third Man]

Why doesn't Babar speak in Punjabi if he's most fluent in that?

It needn't be Urdu.

It's not that he's not a fluent Urdu speaker. An urban Punjabi in Pakistan speaks Urdu as well as Punjabi. The problem is that he's not a good communicator at all. Expressing ideas is not his strong suit regardless of language.

 

[Third Man]

Well by the looks of it he is trying. Yes his first interview without translator wasn’t great but, I guess he can be given bit if levy here. Needs to put in more free time on this if he wants to improve which by the looks he does want to.

Not sure if PCB has provided him with the necessary resources or not. I think they should for all the players wanting to improve their non cricketing side of the things during off season but, even if they haven’t and Babar really wants to learn than I am pretty sure he can afford personal language classes.

Though in recent times with covid and remaining in bubble for long periods might have made it difficult to use many such resources in person.

Even a few levels of rosetta stone are going to do wonders if he really wants to improve it.

 

[Varun]

Also regarding english on social media.

Social media accounts are handled by Marketing agencies who schedule or make posts. Not only cricket players, but politicians and celebrities have their FB and Insta accounts handled by marketing agencies.

having worked for a digital marketing company i had came across some such accounts of politicians

Not always true.

 

[Shafi]

Why put unnecessary pressure on Babar? He doesn't look academic type. PCB made big blunder to make him captain which doesn't suit him. He should play as a batsman.

 

[Titan24]

As a cricket captain, you are put in a position where you have to speak/listen to to English very frequently.

Every job has requirements. Why is it a crime for a cricket captain to work on his English?

English is the de facto language of cricket because it is either played by English speaking nations or (ex) commonwealth countries, so please don’t give nonsense examples of other sports.

I would have been richer than I am now if I had a dollar for every time I heard the “but Messi and Nadal cannot speak English either” nonsense.

Once again, none of that applies to cricket and cricketers.

As far as Babar is concerned, if he is so proud of Urdu, why does he feel the need to pay his social media manager to post in flawless English on his behalf on Twitter, Instagram etc.?

He cannot even read a sentence that his social media handler writes for him, so what is the point?

Why not tweet and post in Urdu if you are so proud of your heritage and culture?

If an “angraiz” is interested in what he has to say on social media, he can always translate.

It is comical to see him struggle to string a sentence in English and then 10 mins later he drops a tweet or an Instagram post with flawless English.

However, the fact that Babar cannot even express himself properly in Urdu and is embarrassing to listen to is a whole different tragedy.

Nevertheless, it is PCB’s job to work on the communication skills of the players in the NCA.

No one is asking them to read Shakespeare’s sonnet; all they need to do is having a general/basic grasp that some of our players have.

It is embarrassing to watch our players hide behind translators or misinterpret what the reporter is trying to say.

The infamous incident between Umar Akmal and an Australian journalist in the 2014 WT20 springs to mind.

And please, keep the “you have colonial mentality” nonsense to yourself. Tell that to the players who cannot speak English but will pay their social media managers to post in English on their behalf.

Embarrassing to say the least.

Valid points.

Football and Tennis are much more diverse sports including the cultures and languages involved than cricket is if we take into account the fans, players coaches etc. so as you mentioned the comparison of them and their players with cricket is not exactly a valid one.

Cricket due to its history is played in countries where majority of players, coaches, fans involved are connected through one common language which is English.

Ofcourse the cricketing skills take precedent over the language skills but, once you become a captain of a side I think there are some extra things which you should be ready to do and work towards because of the role requires more responsibilities than when you were just a player. Even if we take the captaincy aspect aside as a professional cricketer it would be much easier for Babar to communicate with his teammates in leagues, in opposing teams and be better able to understand all the foreign coaches and experts which can only add to him as a player as well.

While as mentioned not a necessity but, you would expect the team captain to work towards those things and also the national players to learn those non cricketing aspects which can be very useful for them in the cricketing world and can only add onto their cricketing side of the things with broader understanding and horizon.

 

[MenInG]

Think we need to understand that some of these players took on cricket to get away from education as that interests them more - sending them back to a classroom to learn English must be a nightmare!

 

[Saj]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congratulations to New Zealand on this remarkable feat. WTC is indeed a premier contest and you can't succeed without perseverance and dedication. Team India also put up a great show through out the tournament. Awesome contest! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WTC21?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WTC21</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvNZ?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvNZ</a> <a href="https://t.co/KbQVDNVCpS">pic.twitter.com/KbQVDNVCpS</a></p>— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) <a href="https://twitter.com/babarazam258/status/1407803707698393099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"Premier" Perseverance" "Dedication"

This is why I loved Trump. You knew it was HIM controlling his Twitter, not some PR guy.

These players most of them don't write the tweets.

In fact I remember chatting to a player not so long ago and he didn't even know who was handling his twitter account.

 

[Bhaijaan]

These players most of them don't write the tweets.

In fact I remember chatting to a player not so long ago and he didn't even know who was handling his twitter account.

It's a win win situation as in case of a bad tweet or if you are caught liking some Insta model or adult model's posts you can always claim it was someone else.

 

[Saj]

It's a win win situation as in case of a bad tweet or if you are caught liking some Insta model or adult model's posts you can always claim it was someone else.

Not really, because people then start asking questions as to why they can write perfect English but can't speak it very well.

 

[Saj]

I like the fact that Babar is trying to improve his English, but why make him do a post match interview in a language that he is clearly not very good at or very comfortable speaking in.

I feel for the player as he shouldn't be put in this position.

 

[SangasCoverDrive]

I like the fact that Babar is trying to improve his English, but why make him do a post match interview in a language that he is clearly not very good at or very comfortable speaking in.

I feel for the player as he shouldn't be put in this position.

Tbh he should be learning to speak English and it's good that he's been put under the knife to learn it. Learning English would only help him and nothing else, You look at the likes of Wasim Akram, Immy K, Moin Khan, Waqar who are all successful in their post-career because of their will to learn English and then you look at players like Javed Miandad, Rashid Latif who spend most of their time whining on Pakistani media or YouTube channels and with absolutely no personality at all.

 

[Saj]

Tbh he should be learning to speak English and it's good that he's been put under the knife to learn it. Learning English would only help him and nothing else, You look at the likes of Wasim Akram, Immy K, Moin Khan, Waqar who are all successful in their post-career because of their will to learn English and then you look at players like Javed Miandad, Rashid Latif who spend most of their time whining on Pakistani media or YouTube channels and with absolutely no personality at all.

Nobody is saying it's a bad thing for him to learn and improve his English.

You have completely missed the point.

 

[street cricketer]

The biggest improvement I saw in a player's english speaking ability was with Pandya. I remember when he first won man of the match award, he could barely string together words or at least he struggled to speak fluently. But now he speaks like a pro. No reason why Babar can't do the same.

 

[shah_1]

It is just lack of effort and not enough confidence

 

[Varun]

The biggest improvement I saw in a player's english speaking ability was with Pandya. I remember when he first won man of the match award, he could barely string together words or at least he struggled to speak fluently. But now he speaks like a pro. No reason why Babar can't do the same.

Also Jadeja - lots of difference between 2009 and now.

 

[sshakir411]

Disgusting that the people who ridiculed Sarfraz for speaking broken English are now saying Babar should be given time to learn. 9/10 Pakistani players will struggle speaking English regardless of how good their skills are.

Stop with the nonsense of expecting the captain to be some HERO. Their job is to lead the team and play cricket. English fluency has no effect on their game or performance.

As a Pakistani, I feel ashamed that our spending time discussing how good the guy sounds on the mike rather than the horrible performance they put in the other day. Babar or any other Pakistani cricketers value is in what they do on the field but our away is full of JAAHILS who care about the pettiest stuff.

Sharam karo....I bet each of these fans would sound dumb when they're asked to speak a language they're not used to. Pathetic really.

 

[MenInG]

Babar back to Urdu for the post match interview for 2nd ODI - sensible approach.

 

[MenInG]

Mike Atherton happy that Babar doing URDU post match comments.

 

[mastimasti]

Funny thing is, majority of English speakers don't really care

 

[MenInG]

Listening to Babar's press conference at the ICC T20 World Cup - I see no improvement in his English skills. Really something that can be fixed with a little help.

 

[drubwrubnat]

Generally saying ( personal view only ) , in my circle of people,

Its seen as uncool to speak in english, and people are seen as more relatable, likeable , rich when making grammatical errors here & there, or speaking in broken english

honestly, many times, esp housewives, businessmen n all, miss to convey the point properly & create some kind of barriers when speaking in english. I personally kinda feel empowered speaking in broken english.

English is definitely good to know, and yeah it helps you connect to diff. people, but mostly, it is not a factor, in my view.

 

[OMB]

Generally saying ( personal view only ) , in my circle of people,

Its seen as uncool to speak in english, and people are seen as more relatable, likeable , rich when making grammatical errors here & there, or speaking in broken english

honestly, many times, esp housewives, businessmen n all, miss to convey the point properly & create some kind of barriers when speaking in english. I personally kinda feel empowered speaking in broken english.

English is definitely good to know, and yeah it helps you connect to diff. people, but mostly, it is not a factor, in my view.

Little mistake here and there is fine and expected
As face of Pakistan cricket team, should be fairly coversant in speaking english

 

[Mamoon]

Don't bump this kinda threads just before major tournament. You never know if players browse these pages in their free time.
Why put unnecessary pressure on them.

Don’t worry, I doubt if Babar can make sense of a single sentence written on this forum or what’s written on his social media accounts.

 

[Sher Khan]

Don’t worry, I doubt if Babar can make sense of a single sentence written on this forum or what’s written on his social media accounts.

Even when he speaks in Urdu he only uses cliched quotes and phrases, doesn't express himself well.

I guess Punjabi is his first language, but we can't be interviewing him in Punjabi during global events.

 

[JattMaula]

Even when he speaks in Urdu he only uses cliched quotes and phrases, doesn't express himself well.

I guess Punjabi is his first language, but we can't be interviewing him in Punjabi during global events.

Why can't he we use Punjabi? It's one of the language spoken by most people in the world and especially in the commonwealth. It's spoken as native language by more people than Urdu too.

 

[Sher Khan]

Why can't he we use Punjabi? It's one of the language spoken by most people in the world and especially in the commonwealth. It's spoken as native language by more people than Urdu too.

I know the majority of Pakistani people speak Punjabi. But I am speaking in regard to global events and International Cricket, the National Language is used as a substitute to English in press conferences.

 

[Zaz]

Id rather he doesnt speak english if he cant speak it properly

Get a translator in

 

[MenInG]

Problem is that ICC know that he cannot speak - so why subject him to that?