'I don’t want to talk about him' - Star allrounder bashes Babar Azam during PSL

Babar Azam (Image credits: Twitter)

Amid rumors that Babar Azam and Imad Wasim did not share a healthy relationship, the all-rounder has made a controversial statement about the Pakistan captain, saying "I don't want to talk about him". Babar and Wasim, the captains of Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings respectively, clashed in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) on February 14, with Karachi losing their first match by a narrow margin of two runs.

Babar Azam was earlier a member of Karachi Kings but was traded to Peshawar Zalmi ahead of this year's PSL. He played four seasons for the Karachi franchise in the Pakistan 20-20 League. However, Imad Wasim did not want to open up about the controversy that had erupted saying that the team is playing well, needs to focus on results, and does not want to pay attention to media reports.

“It is not like that. Everything that comes on media, is sometimes it true, and sometimes it is not. I don’t want to talk about Babar, because the way our team is playing, we need to focus on results,” Wasim said in the post-match press conference after his team lost to the Quetta Gladiators on Saturday, February 18.

Wasim (80* off 47 balls) and Babar (68 off 46 balls) played brilliant innings for their team in the high-voltage match last Tuesday. England's Tom Kohler-Cadmore was awarded the player of the match for his magnificent 92 off just 50 balls, helping Peshawar to a mammoth total of 199. Meanwhile, two all-rounders Shoaib Malik and Imad Wasim tried their best to take their team home but failed by just 2 runs.

'Aggression is fine, but keep it under control': Ex-Pakistan cricketer advice Karachi pacer

There was another controversy in the Karachi camp involving their star bowler Mohammad Amir. Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi had personally scolded Amir for his on-field behavior in the first two matches for Karachi Kings.

“Is this the way to play? There are juniors around you, you are using bad words. There are fans who are disheartened to see that. Even we have used such words and sometimes, the camera used to catch us. There are families, kids watching you on television. Aggression is fine, but keep it under control,” Afridi said.

Meanwhile, Amir's captain defended his teammate's aggressive behavior on the field, saying it happens in heated moments. “A fast bowler should be aggressive. I don’t think he does anything intentionally, it happens in heated moments. As far as there is no objection on him by match officials, I don’t have any issue,” Imad Wasim said.