File photo of Harbhajan Singh and Kamran Akmal
Two renowned former cricketers, Harbhajan Singh and Kamran Akmal, engaged in a conversation during the World Championship of Legends match in England. The exchange sparked speculation that they were discussing Akmal’s controversial ‘Sikh joke’ aimed at Arshdeep Singh. Akmal has now disclosed that this topic was indeed broached, but there was another issue that he raised during the chat, prompting Harbhajan to apologize.
Akmal had made a racially insensitive joke directed at Sikhs while commentating for a Pakistani channel during the T20 World Cup 2024. When Harbhajan criticized him for this, Akmal later issued an apology. “I made a mistake, and that was the main topic of discussion. I never intended to offend anyone’s religion, and I have clarified that. It was a conversation between a younger player and senior cricketers like Harbhajan, who is a great off-spinner in Indian and world cricket,” revealed Akmal in an interview with Paktv.tv.
During the T20 World Cup final between India and South Africa, Harbhajan was a pundit on Star Sports. In a show on the channel, he burst into laughter when the comparison between Pakistan’s Babar Azam and West Indies legend Brian Lara was mentioned.
Kamran mentioned this incident to Harbhajan during their conversation, pointing out that ridiculing Babar in such a manner was inappropriate. Harbhajan acknowledged his mistake on the matter. “We discussed the incident where Babar was mocked. Babar is a phenomenal batsman in Pakistan cricket, having scored the most centuries for Pakistan. While Lara and Babar have different styles, they should not be compared. As cricketers, we should not mock anyone. I raised this point, and Harbhajan agreed that it was wrong on his part as well,” explained Akmal.
@Cricbun
