PSL 8: Babar Azam reacts to his on-field duel with Mohammad Amir

Pakistan and Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam is believed to have a history with out-of-favour seamer Mohammad Amir, who plays for Karachi Kings in Pakistan Super League (PSL). Ahead of the first outing between both teams in PSL 8 on February 14th, Amir made some loose remarks on Babar, saying he thrives on contests like these that bringthe best out of him. More so Amir even said that bowling to Babar is similar to that of bowling to a tailender – a statement that raised quite en eyebrows. However, what transpired during the match made headlines for wrong reasons.

“These kinds of matchups and player rivalries keep players on their toes. I personally like these sorts of challenges because it keeps me focused. My job is to take wickets and win matches for my team, so for me, facing Babar or a tailender batting at number 10 will be the same," Amir had said to ARY News.

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Electing to bowl first after winning the toss, Karachi's Amir was up against Babar Azam in the first over itself. It was when Babar had smashed Amir for a couple of lovely fours inside the Powerplay, Amir looked frustrated and threw the ball towards Babar after conceding a four on the off side in the sixth over. That action drew a lot of criticism from the fans all across who urgedAmir to show some humility towards his country’s captain. Amir, however, didn’t have the best of outings that night as he conceded 42 runs without picking up a wicket, whereas, Babar completed his fifty, scoring 68 off 46 balls.

Opening up on that particular incident almost a week later, Babar while giving an interview to Cricket Pakistan, said his focus mostly remains on scoring runs and not in getting into any sort of tussle with any player. Keeping the right foot forward, the stylish right-handed batter said he doesn’t like throwing his aggression around loosely and instead show it with the bat in hand.

“On the field it's the game of bat and ball. And you always try to put your best foot forward. I try to only focus on my batting, not on other things that can divert my attention, because then, it affects me. The more I simple I keep it, the more it's good for me. I don't think I reacted in any way that time, I kept it quite simple. You can show aggression, mine comes through batting,” Peshawar Zalmi captain said.