Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, who was heavily criticised by legendary cricketer Harbhajan Singh for his unpleasant remarks against Indian fast bowler Arshdeep Singh, recently had a lively conversation with the spin bowling icon on the sidelines of the World Championship of Legends tournament in Birmingham. Hours after the conversation became a talking point in the cricketing world, Akmal opened up about his interaction with the Indian Champions team leader. In the eighth match of the tournament on Saturday, Pakistan Champions thrashed Harbhajan-led Indian Champions.
For those unfamiliar, Harbhajan had slammed Akmal for disrespecting Arshdeep’s religion during the 2024 edition of the ICC T20 World Cup. Akmal, who was invited as a cricket commentator on a Pakistani channel, made the controversial statement and was seen laughing about the unacceptable remark along with the other panellists. Last week, Akmal and Harbhajan featured in the World Championship of Legends match between the Indian and Pakistan champions at Edgbaston.
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I made a mistake…: What Akmal told Harbhajan
talk Paktv.tv, Akmal gave details of his conversation with Harbhajan. The former Pakistan gloveman apologised profusely to Harbhajan for his on-air remarks. “I made a mistake (it’s wrong to voice your opinion) and that was the only topic. It was never my intention and I can’t think negatively about anyone’s religion. I made that clear and that’s what I should have done as I am young and they are my seniors and are great off-spinners in Indian and world cricket,” Akmal said.
Akmal also mentioned Pakistan captain Babar Azam facing the wrath of fans and critics during his brief conversation with Harbhajan in Birmingham. Earlier, during the conversation, Harbhajan had struggled to contain his laughter when Pakistan’s Babar had a feud with legendary Brian Lara. Akmal claimed that even Harbhajan agreed that the former star player should shy away from criticism.
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Don’t compare Babar with Lala: Akmal tells Harbhajan
“After that, we had a discussion and maybe you saw Babar being mocked. No doubt Babar is a great batsman in Pakistan cricket and has scored the most hundreds for Pakistan. Brian Lara and Babar are not matched and should not be compared. But as cricketers, we should not mock anyone. So I spoke about it and he (Harbhajan) also agreed that such things should not happen from his side,” he added.
