Watch: Babar Azam captures Azam Khan wiping sweat with dollars, video goes viral

Pakistan team cricket captain Babar Azam has been involved in a controversy after a video of his teammate Azam Khan wiping sweat with a bundle of currency notes surfaced online.  The incident has drawn immense criticism from fans, who have referred to the act as shameless and insensitive, especially considering Pakistan’s current economic hardships.

The video, apparently recorded by Babar himself, shows Khan wiping his forehead with the currency notes while Babar can be heard teasing him and laughing at the act.

“Abba, kya hua hai? Garmi hai? (What happened? Is it hot?),” said Babar.  “Bahot zyada garmi hai (it’s too hot),” replied Khan.

Here’s the video –

Also read: Babar Azam greets Gary Kirsten with warm hug ahead of England T20Is

Babar posted the video on his official Snapchat account and drew immense criticism from his fans worldwide. Pakistan recently beat Ireland in a closely-contested three-match T20I series, winning 2-1.

The Babar Azam-led side will next face England in a four-match T20I series starting today, which will be their final bilateral series before the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in West Indies and USA. The series against England is seen as a crucial opportunity for the team to fine-tune their strategies and form ahead of the marquee event.

Pakistan’s captain had an impressive run in the recently concluded Ireland series, where he was the joint-highest run-scorer with 132 runs at an average of 44. The 29-year-old skipper will be looking to carry this momentum into the upcoming series against England and the T20 World Cup in June. Meanwhile, Khan, featured in the three T20Is against the Irish side but managed to score only 48 runs. However, the young wicketkeeper-batter has been performing well in the Pakistan Super League and will be hopeful to contribute with the bat against the Three Lions.

On the other hand, most of the England players are coming straight from the IPL, where some of their players had an excellent run. Notably, the side has included Jofra Archer in their squad for this series, making his return after a long absence due to injuries. The first T20I will be played in Leeds on May 22.