England all-rounder says it was taken out of context
LONDON: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-July 7th, 2025) England all-rounder Chris Woakes has issued a clarification over his recent remark referring to South African cricketer Wiaan Mulder as “King Babar,” a comment that stirred backlash from Pakistani cricket fans on social media.
Speaking during a podcast with fellow cricketer Moeen Ali, Woakes explained that the comment was made in jest on one of Mulder’s Instagram posts and was not intended as a dig at Pakistan captain Babar Azam.
The clarification comes amid rising sensitivities on social media where fan bases, particularly in cricket-crazy nations like Pakistan, closely follow every word spoken about their star players.
“I wrote ‘King Babar’ on Wiaan’s post as a joke. It was light-hearted and not meant to offend anyone,” Woakes said. “I’ve played with Wiaan Mulder in the South African league and we share a good friendship. After a verbal exchange between him and Babar Azam during the Pakistan Test series, fans started teasing Mulder by calling him ‘King Babar’ on Instagram.”
Woakes further added that the nickname had become an inside joke among friends. “Even we, as mates, would jokingly call him ‘King Babar’. But after I used the term online, some Babar fans took it seriously and targeted me.”
Clarifying his intent, Woakes said, “The comment was purely humorous. It had nothing to do with mocking Babar Azam, whom I respect as a top-class player. Unfortunately, it was misunderstood and blown out of proportion.”
