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James Anderson, the iconic England’s fast bowler, bid farewell to international cricket after a stellar career spanning more than two decades.
James Anderson’s illustrious career comes to an end
His retirement followed England’s commanding victory over the West Indies at Lord’s Cricket Ground, where he played a crucial role in securing a win by an innings and 114 runs. Anderson’s legacy is unparalleled, having amassed a record 704 Test wickets, the highest by any fast bowler in history. Known for his skillful swing bowling, Anderson’s ability to consistently trouble batters made him a mainstay in the English lineup.
Tributes pour in for cricket icon
Following Anderson’s retirement, tributes poured in from former cricketers, analysts, and fans worldwide, celebrating his extraordinary career and contributions to the sport. Among them was Pakistan’s current white-ball captain Babar Azam. However Babar , found himself in the midst of controversy after he mistakenly made a blunder while offering a tribute to veteran England pacer.
Babar Azam’s social media blunder
Babar initially took to social media, specifically X (formerly Twitter), to express his deep respect and admiration for Anderson. Nevertheless, in a significant oversight, Babar mistakenly praised Anderson for his “cutters” instead of his renowned “swing” bowling. This error quickly drew sharp criticism from cricket fans and followers, prompting Babar to promptly delete the post.
In his initial tribute, Babar wrote, “It was a privilege to face your cutters, Jimmy! The beautiful game will now miss one of its greatest. Your incredible service to the sport has been nothing short of remarkable. Huge respect for you, GOAT.” The use of “cutters” instead of “swing” was clearly inaccurate, given Anderson’s reputation as a master of swing bowling that troubled batters worldwide.
Also READ: Sarfaraz Ahmed picks a strong contender to replace Babar Azam as Pakistan’s captain
Corrected tribute honours Anderson’s legacy
Recognizing the gravity of his mistake, Babar swiftly reposted a corrected tribute, stating, “It was a privilege to face your swing, Jimmy! The beautiful game will now miss one of its greatest. Your incredible service to the sport has been nothing short of remarkable. Huge respect for you, GOAT,”
It was a privilege to face your swing, Jimmy!
The beautiful game will now miss one of its greatest. Your incredible service to the sport has been nothing short of remarkable. Huge respect for you, GOAT 🫡 pic.twitter.com/fE2NMz4Iey
— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) July 12, 2024
Here’s how Fans reacted:
lol 😂 Lol 😜 Lol 😝
James Anderson still in awe, when in his 21 years old career he bowled cutters.
Only Babar Azam things. pic.twitter.com/vJLnNp5QsZ
— Faisal Suhaan (@faisal7y) July 12, 2024
I Think Babar Azam's T20 Stats are still more embarrassing than his tweet about Jimmy Anderson.#Cutter_Gates
— Cric mate (@cricmatee07) July 12, 2024
Babar Azam deleted his previous tweet in which he lied that he faced James Anderson's cutters although he didn't. He is so dumb, embarrassing Pakistan everywhere. #BabarAzam #JamesAnderson pic.twitter.com/GFXyO1Ms89
— Tehseen Qasim (@Tehseenqasim) July 12, 2024
Seriously,a guy who can't even get a simple farewell tweet right is supposed to get playing 11 right and make tactics to win matches for Pak.
Why can't people accept that Babar Azam is just not that smart. Even if Talha drafted the tweet,he himself as cricketer should know better pic.twitter.com/UtEknFu4OD— Abdullah (@abdullahhammad4) July 12, 2024
Babar Azam : First cutters and now Swing 🤣
Anderson bowled 158 balls to Babar Azam, with 118 of them being dot balls and getting him out twice. pic.twitter.com/UsPnMm8khZ
— Vipin Tiwari (@Vipintiwari952) July 12, 2024
Anderson after reading Babar's Tweet: pic.twitter.com/gcuMQ3cehH
— Cric mate (@cricmatee07) July 12, 2024
Good to see your tweet about James Anderson ,please also tweet about Pakistan team performance in World Cup https://t.co/z8CMrrzICM
— Saleem Khaliq (@saleemkhaliq) July 12, 2024
Babar Azam calling it a “privilege to face your cutters” proves he doesn’t even know the difference between swing and cutters. How is this guy the Pakistani captain?🔥🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 #JamesAnderson pic.twitter.com/IK0I3Znjoq
— Kuch Bhi!!!! (@KirkutExpert99) July 12, 2024
Babar bahi se Question kuch pucho answers kuch deta hai and know say cutter 😭 https://t.co/o70dPhX3wa
— Akanksha (@AKANKSH48278581) July 12, 2024
Please Correct 👍 According to BABAR the GHANTE KA KING, Jimmy is Cutter's king ( Not Swing's King) https://t.co/YoAqNqSZSX
— AB Cricinfo (@ABCricinfo16) July 12, 2024
This man is a walking embarrassment. Remember when he did a tweet on Federer retirement trying to be cool when there’s a video where he couldn’t even recognise Federer. Now he did a tweet facing cutters from Jimmy when Anderson hasn’t even bowled a single cutter to him ever. ‘ https://t.co/HWwi5RCpvF pic.twitter.com/16aJTFm0NN
— Jitender Singh (@j_dhillon8) July 13, 2024