Ramiz Raja slams Shoaib Akhtar, calls him ‘delusional superstar’

Ramiz Raja and Shoaib Akhtar are engaged in a war of words after the latter’s acerbic comments on Pakistan’s sizzling batter and skipper Babar Azam. Former chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has called Shoaib Akhtar “delusional superstar” and asked him to draw lessons how former India cricketers conduct themselves in public domain.

In a scathing attack aimed at Shoaib Akhtar, who is known as the Rawalpindi Express for his phenomenal pace bowling, Raja labelled Akhtar a “delusional superstar”. According to Raja, it is far more important for any cricketer to try and become a better human being first and a brand later.

The heated exchange between the two former Pakistan cricketers took an ugly turn soon after Akhtar during a recent appearance on a television channel in Pakistan made controversial remarks about Babar Azam's communication skills. The veteran pacer mocked at Azam’s English speaking skills and went on to say that the Pakistani skipper “can’t speak English properly.” 

Akhtar had also been critical of former Pakistan wicket-keeper batter Kamran Akmal in a live show. Despite Akhtar’s stardom, he faced a lot of condemnation from the Pakistani cricketing fraternity.

'Draw lessons from Team India players'

Raja, who was part of Pakistan’s victorious team in the 1992 World Cup, slammed Akhtar and advised him to draw a lesson or two from how the Indian cricketers conduct themselves in public. Raja argued that one would never see Sunil Gavaskar going public with his criticism of Rahul Dravid. Raja said that former international players should not cross boundaries of decency.

Raja made these remarks while appearing on BOL Network, a local television channel in Pakistan. 

Mincing no words, Raja said that “Shoaib Akhtar is a delusional superstar. He also had an issue recently with Kamran Akmal. He wants everyone to become a brand, but it is more important to become a human first. First, become a human and then a brand.”

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