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England pacer Chris Woakes has broken his silence on the viral ‘King Babar’ comment he left on Wiaan Mulder’s Instagram, clarifying that it was nothing more than a friendly joke and had no intention of mocking former Pakistan captain Babar Azam.
Speaking on a YouTube podcast alongside fellow cricketer Moeen Ali, Woakes addressed the controversy after being asked about the origins of the now-infamous nickname.
“I played with Wiaan Mulder in the South African league, and during the Test series in Pakistan, there had been a bit of an exchange between him and Babar Azam,” Woakes recalled.
He explained that the incident sparked a flood of comments from Pakistani fans on Mulder’s posts, with many sarcastically calling him ‘King Babar.’
Woakes, seeing the humor in it, decided to join the banter by commenting the same.
“It was just light-hearted fun. We used to joke about it in the dressing room too. But when I commented ‘King Babar’ on one of Wiaan’s photos, fans completely misread it,” he said.
Woakes was quick to clarify that the comment was never intended as a dig at Babar Azam.
“I didn’t mean anything against Babar. The comment was meant in jest, but fans misinterpreted it as a dig at their captain. They even started targeting me in the comments, calling me ‘King Babar’ sarcastically,” he added.
He wrapped up the discussion by reiterating that the incident was a case of online miscommunication and nothing personal.
“I completely understand the passion of the fans, but the whole thing was just a misunderstanding,” he concluded.
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