Returning to the national team, Fakhar Zaman seems to be back at his best. His century in the second ODI of the 5-match series between England and Pakistan suggests the left-hander will play a key role in his side's World Cup campaign.
But while the Pakistan fans are raving about his great stroke-play, former England off-spinner Graeme Swann couldn't resist having a chuckle at the sound of the aggressive batsman's name when seen from an English perspective.
Swann, known for being the joker of the English team and possessing a great sense of humour, put out a tweet saying, "I honestly hope that Fakhar goes on to be the greatest player in living memory. His name deserves greatness!"
Responses to the tweet
It doesn't take a genius to figure out what the former Test cricketer is hinting at when he says, "His name deserves greatness." There was a torrent of responses to the tweet as many people either applauded the cricketer-turned-broadcaster for his funny take while others joined in with their own humourous comments. Many also pointed to the names of other famous sports personalities with names that can sound rather double entendre.
A man called Ed Atkinson on the social media site responded by writing, "Has he any other family members who play? Then we could 'Meet The Fakhars,' referring indirectly to the 2004 Hollywood movie, 'Meet the Fockers.' Another user made an astute observation: "I remember Aggers trying not to say it during the Champions Trophy final in 2017...it was funny as he said his whole name all the time."
This is not the first time the name of the Pakistan opener, which means pride in Urdu, has led to laughs and chuckles. During the Test series between Pakistan and Australia in UAE last year, Brett Lee and Mark Waugh were analysing the game for an Australian channel, when the latter mispronounced the name of Zaman. This led to a great deal of laughs from both players as well as the anchor even though Lee tried to correct his co-panellist.
If Fakhar indeed becomes a leading batsman in the world, English-speaking commentators would have to brush up on their Urdu pronunciation.
