‘You can show aggression, mine comes through batting’ - Babar Azam gives befitting reply to Mohammad Amir after on-field duel in PSL

Babar Azam-Mohammad Amir (Source: Twitter)

Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam has responded to his tussle with Karachi pacer Mohammad Amir in the ongoing edition of the Pakistan Super League. Amir was not on good terms with the Pakistan skipper even before the start of PSL 2023 and things heated up when the right-handed batter flicked the left-arm pacer's delivery for a four in the Karachi Kings' opening match.

In their first match of the season against Peshawar Zalmi on 14 February, Amir had a poor performance with figures of 0/42 in four overs. The fast bowler failed to pick a wicket and got frustrated when Babar drove him through the covers in the first over of the match. On the very next ball, Amir bowled a dot ball and aggressively threw the ball at the batter. However, Babar gave a decent reply with his bat by scoring 68 runs in 46 balls. With Tom Kohler-Cadmore also firing, Zalmi put a massive score of 199 on the board. In response, the Kings fought really hard but lost a nail-biter encounter by just 2 runs.

Even before the PSL, Amir's statement about Babar that bowling the Pakistan captain was like bowling to a tailender was controversial. “These kinds of matchups and player rivalries keep players on their toes. I personally like these sort 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 was quoted as saying.

'I try to only focus on my batting': Babar Azam

Meanwhile, Pakistan's star batter has now responded to his duel with Mohammad Amir, saying, that he will show his aggression with his batting.

"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,” said Babar.

Amir's controversial remarks invited criticism from fans and many former Pakistani cricketers, who supported Babar. However, as Babar replied to Amir, the PAK superstar is showing his batting aggression as he has scored 96 runs in 3 matches in the ongoing PSL. Peshawar Zalmi made a decent start to the season by winning 2 of their first 3 matches, while the Kings managed just 1 win from 4 matches.