Don’t know which one of our cousins refused Babar Azam for shoes: Umar Akmal

Pakistan wicketkeeper batter Umar Akmal has reacted to skipper Babar Azam’s recent claims where he said that one of his cousins refused to lend him a pair of shoes during the starting days of his cricketing career. The now Pakistan skipper recalled his struggle and shared the incident and said that he should not have asked for the shoes in the first place.

Babar made his international debut in May 2015 against Zimbabwe in an ODI series. Just a year later, he made his first appearance in Test and the T20I format as well. Since then, Babar has been the most prized player for Pakistan, making plenty of runs for his country.

“I asked my cousin if he could lend me a pair of joggers, but he refused, claiming that he didn’t have any. I realised I had said something I shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t have asked for the shoes in the first place,” said the Pakistani skipper during an interview a few weeks back.

I have no idea which of our cousins refused to give shoes to Babar: Umar Akmal

Responding to the comments in an interview with a local news channel, Umar Akmal said that he does not have an idea which one of Babar’s cousins refused to lend him a pair of shoes. Akmal also added that their families have always backed the children and their quest to pursue cricket as a career.

“I have no idea which of our cousins refused to give shoes to Babar. We’ve always offered support to relatives who wanted to play cricket. I’ve never turned down a request. People who are close to me are well aware of this,” Akmal said during an interview.

Talking about Babar numbers in international cricket, the right-handed batter has represented Pakistan in 200 matches across all three formats and has amassed a total of 9,798 runs so far. He has stroked 65 fifties and 23 centuries including all three formats of the game.