Former New Zealand cricketer-turned-commentator Simon Doull recently recalled the harrowing experience he had in Pakistan during his stay in the country due to professional commitments.
Doull was one of the commentators during the last season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023 where he courted controversy by criticising national team skipper Babar Azam during one of the matches.
Doull voiced his opinion about Babar's tendency to play for personal milestones. His comments went viral and triggered anger among Pakistan cricket fans.
Doull is currently in India where he is commentating in the Indian Premier League. He recalled how he was "mentally tortured" due to his comments and managed to "escape" from the country unhurt.
"Living in Pakistan is like living in jail," revealed Doull, as quoted by Geo News. "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."
What Simon Doull said about Babar Azam
Doull was critical of Peshawar Zalmi skipper Babar Azam's hundred against Quetta Gladiators which came in a losing cause even after he scored 115 off 65 balls at a strike rate of over 176.
“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 said while he was on air.
He immediately faced backlash in Pakistan and on social media from Babar's fans.
Simon Doull not impressed with Virat Kohli either
Doull had recently criticised Royal Challengers Bangalore star Virat Kohli as well for the same reason he went after Babar.
Kohli had scored 61 off 44 balls against LSG. Doull, however, wasn't impressed with Kohli slowing down after scoring 42 runs.
"Kohli started off like a train. He was going hammer and tongs as he was playing a lot of shots. From 42 to 50, he took 10 balls. Concerned about a milestone. I don't think there's room for that in this game anymore. Just got to keep going, especially with wickets in hand at that stage. You got to keep going," Doull had said about the RCB batter.
