'Obviously dukh hota hai' - Shadab Khan expressed his disappointment over Imad Wasim receiving "Babar Babar" chants

In the Pakistan Super League (PSL) a recent incident during the Eliminator 2 between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United at the National Bank Cricket Stadium in Karachi has cast a shadow on the spirit of the game. Islamabad United's all-rounder Imad Wasim found himself at the receiving end of 'Babar, Babar' chants from the crowd. Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan expressed his concern over such behaviour.

The chants were a reference to Imad's earlier criticism of Pakistan's skipper Babar Azam during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, where the team's performance was poor. It seems the fans were attempting to retaliate against Imad's remarks by targeting him with chants of Babar's name.

One similar incident that took place was during a match between Karachi Kings and Islamabad United at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, where Imad, while fielding near the boundary, responded to the “Babar Babar” chants by mimicking football legend Lionel Messi's iconic goal celebration, raising his shirt.

Also read: Journalists walk out of Multan Sultans press conference in protest ahead of PSL final

Shadab Khan shows his concern

Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan was quick to express his disappointment. “Obviously, dukh hota hai. Itne lambe arse ke liye Pakistan ke liye khelna, performance karna. Aisi cheezein jo hamaara crowd hai woh aisi cheezein kar raha tha (Obviously, we feel sad about it. We want to play well and perform, play back for Pakistan. And now we see our crowd doing such things at the venue),” he said.

Shadab emphasized the emotional toll that goes through players.”Aapko feel hota hai Maine isi mulk ke liye khela hai aur isi mulk ke liye matches jeetayein hain, aur hamaare log aisa treat kar rahe hain' so woh thoda feel hota hai, (As a player you feel like, 'I've played for this country, I've won matches for this country, and the people of our country treat us like this,' so it does feel a bit),” said Shadab.

Also read: Imad Wasim's Messi-like reaction to 'Babar, Babar' chants lights up Pindi atmosphere

Islamabad won the toss and opted to field first. Saim Ayub's 73 and Mohammad Haris' 40, were instrumental with Peshawar Zalmi posting 185/5 in their allotted 20 overs. Imad, meanwhile, could not get any wickets but bowled an economically, giving away 23 runs in his 4-over spell.

In reply, Islamabad went on to win the game with one over and five wickets to spare. The southpaw was instrumental in the victory with his 59* off 40 and Haider Ali's 52 not out off 29. United will face Multan Sultans in the finals of PSL 2024 on Monday, March 18 in Karachi.