‘Living In Pakistan Is Like Living In Jail’, Simon Doull On Mental Torture He Received From Fans After Critising Babar Azam
Former New Zealand cricketer-turned-broadcaster Simon Doull has made headlines for his recent remarks about his stay in Pakistan. Doull, who had earlier pointed out Babar Azam’s selfish approach during the Pakistan Super League 2023, claimed that he was mentally tortured during his stay in the country.
“Living in Pakistan is like living in jail. I was not allowed to go out as Babar Azam fans were waiting for me. And I stayed in Pakistan without food for many days. Even I was mentally tortured but by the grace of God I somehow escaped from Pakistan,” said the former New Zealand cricketer.
During the PSL match between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators, Doull had criticized Babar Azam’s batting approach. Although the Zalmi skipper had scored 83 runs off 46 balls, he took another 14 balls to complete his century. Doull had criticized Azam for chasing records instead of focusing on scoring boundaries.
“Rather than putting the team first… the last little while, that’s all that been happening. Rather than looking for boundaries, still, so much firepower to come. Hundreds are brilliant, stats are great, but it has to be team first,” Doull reportedly said on commentary.
Interestingly, Doull had also criticized Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Virat Kohli for a similar reason in IPL 2023. After Kohli’s knock of 61 runs off 44 balls against Lucknow Super Giants on April 11, Doull had felt that Kohli used up too many deliveries to complete his fifty. Unfortunately, RCB lost the match despite impressive performances by Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell.
“Virat Kohli started off like a train. He was hammering shots. But from 42 to 40 he took 10 balls. He’s concerned about his personal milestone. I don’t think there’s room for that in this game anymore. You’ve just got to keep going, especially with wickets in hand at that stage. You’ve got to keep going,” Doull was heard saying while being on the commentary panel.
Doull’s comments have stirred up controversy, with some fans supporting his views while others criticizing him for being too harsh. Nonetheless, his remarks have certainly made him a topic of discussion in the cricketing world.
