England pacer Chris Woakes has finally broken his silence on the viral ‘King Babar’ comment he left on Wiaan Mulder’s Instagram, saying it was only a friendly joke and not meant to mock former Pakistan captain Babar Azam.

 

Speaking on a YouTube podcast alongside fellow cricketer Moeen Ali, Woakes opened up about the controversy.

 

“I played with Wiaan Mulder in the South African league, and during the Test series in Pakistan, there had been a bit of an exchange between him and Babar Azam,” Woakes recalled.

 

He said the incident led to a flood of comments from Pakistani fans on Mulder’s posts, with many sarcastically calling him ‘King Babar’ under his post on social media. Woakes, finding the banter funny, decided to join in.

 

“It was just light-hearted fun. We used to joke about it in the dressing room too. But when I commented ‘King Babar’ on one of Wiaan’s photos, fans completely misread it,” he said.

 

Woakes stressed that he never intended to insult Babar Azam in any way.

 

“I didn’t mean anything against Babar. The comment was meant in jest, but fans misinterpreted it as a dig at their captain. They even started targeting me in the comments, calling me ‘King Babar’ sarcastically,” he added.

 

“I completely understand the passion of the fans, but the whole thing was just a misunderstanding,” he concluded.

 

The incident originally took place in March 2025. Woakes poked fun at Pakistani cricket star when South African player Wiaan Mulder was tagged in a social media post about a four-wheeler associated with his team, the Lions.

 

Though Babar Azam wasn’t even part of the conversation, Woakes randomly dropped his name with two laughing emojis. His cheeky troll instantly grabbed the spotlight but ended up sparking unwanted controversy among Babar's fans.