Babar Azam makes a blunder in tribute to James Anderson, Deletes post after backlash from fans on Social Media

Pakistan white-ball captain Babar Azam faced backlash after mistakenly posting a tribute to veteran England pacer James Anderson upon his international retirement. Babar Azam quickly deleted the post after fans pointed out the error and later reposted the corrected tribute on social media.

James Anderson retired from international cricket after England's emphatic win over the West Indies in the series opener at Lord's Cricket Ground on Friday, July 12. The Ben Stokes-led team defeated the West Indies by an innings and 114 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the ongoing three-match Test series.

James Anderson ended his illustrious Test career with 704 wickets, the most by any fast bowler. The right-arm pacer played 188 Test matches for England over more than two decades. Following his retirement, former cricketers, analysts, and fans paid tribute to the veteran pacer across social media platforms.

Huge Respect For James Anderson - Babar Azam

Babar Azam took to X (formerly Twitter) to pay tribute to the recently retired James Anderson. Babar made a blunder by praising Anderson's "cutters," and fans quickly pointed out the mistake. Azam stated that he was privileged to face Anderson's cutters despite facing only two cutters from him in his career.

"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," Babar posted, then deleted it.

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— Sunil the Cricketer (@1sInto2s) J<!---->u<!---->l<!---->y<!----> <!---->1<!---->2<!---->,<!----> <!---->2<!---->0<!---->2<!---->4

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— Out Of Context Cricket (@GemsOfCricket) J<!---->u<!---->l<!---->y<!----> <!---->1<!---->2<!---->,<!----> <!---->2<!---->0<!---->2<!---->4

Babar Azam later corrected his 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 🫡 p<!---->i<!---->c<!---->.<!---->t<!---->w<!---->i<!---->t<!---->t<!---->e<!---->r<!---->.<!---->c<!---->o<!---->m<!---->/<!---->f<!---->E<!---->2<!---->N<!---->M<!---->z<!---->4<!---->I<!---->e<!---->y

— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) J<!---->u<!---->l<!---->y<!----> <!---->1<!---->2<!---->,<!----> <!---->2<!---->0<!---->2<!---->4

Babar Azam and James Anderson faced each other eight times in Test matches. Anderson dismissed Babar twice, while the star Pakistan batter scored 88 runs against the English bowler.

You Will Remain Not Out In Our Hearts - Wasim Akram

Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram praised James Anderson for his remarkable career, highlighting his endurance, passion, and exceptional wicket-taking ability. Akram wished him the best for his future endeavors, stating that Anderson would always remain "not out" in cricket fans' hearts.

"Congratulations on an amazing career @Jimmy9 … your endurance, passion and commitment were always next level, your ability to take wickets was second to none… like your 114 not outs as a batter you will remain not out in our hearts… best wishes for whatever you do in future. #TheBestThing," Wasim Akram wrote.

Congratulations on an amazing career @<!---->J<!---->i<!---->m<!---->m<!---->y<!---->9 … your endurance, passion and commitment were always next level, your ability to take wickets was second to none… like your 114 not outs as a batter you will remain not out in our hearts… best wishes for whatever you do in future.…

— Wasim Akram (@wasimakramlive) J<!---->u<!---->l<!---->y<!----> <!---->1<!---->2<!---->,<!----> <!---->2<!---->0<!---->2<!---->4

James Anderson retired as the third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. Legendary spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne have more wickets than Anderson in the format. The 41-year-old's Test career spanned 22 years, with only Sachin Tendulkar (200) having more international Test caps.

The veteran cricketer will continue to be part of the England team for the remainder of the English summer. He will take on a mentoring role to help develop young bowlers for Test cricket. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will decide Anderson's future as the mentor after the English summer.

Also read: James Anderson, Glenn McGrath, Jasprit Bumrah snubbed as Sir Geoffrey Boycott picks top 5 bowlers