Is there a cold-war between Babar Azam and Mohammad Amir?
All is Not Well Between Kings and Zalmis
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Is there a cold war between Babar Azam and Mohammad Amir?
Cricket enthusiasts following Pakistan cricket would know well that ‘all is not well’ between the Pakistani skipper Babar Azam and some out-of-favour players such as Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir. It seems that Amir and Wasim are trying hard to prove a point to Azam, but are they succeeding in this endeavour?
In a match between the Peshawar Zalmi (PZ) and the Karachi Kings (KK) in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL), the Pakistani pacer expressed his frustration after the Zalmi captain Azam hit the bowler for a delightful cover drive along the carpet, earning a well-deserved boundary.
Both Amir and Wasim play for KK and have in the recent past been critical of Azam’s strike rate as an opening batter during the last T20 World Cup in Australia. In some cryptic messages, players representing KK have been describing Azam as a “selfish player” playing for stats.
Azam after representing the Kings for four consecutive seasons has made a move to the Zalmi camp ahead of the latest edition of the PSL. However, the rivalry among the trio—Azam, Amir, and Wasim—is quite discernible. Though Wasim is subtle in his criticism of Azam, the controversial fast bowler Amir has been overtly critical and, at times, disrespectful too.
Many Pakistani players—both former and current—have come out in support of Azam and advised Amir to watch his words. Shahid Afridi is one among them.
Speaking on Pakistan’s Samaa TV as one of the experts in a panel discussion, the celebrity cricketer Afridi took a dig at Amir over the latter’s on-field antics. He disclosed his chat with the controversial pacer. According to Afridi, he scolded and schooled Amir to be decent in his behavior.
“Whenever a player does not perform, or even if he does, I do drop him a message or call him. Likewise, I messaged Amir yesterday (after the match between PZ and KK in PSL). I talked to him respectfully, but I also scolded him. I told Amir, ‘what do you want?’ You have gained so much respect, you faced a blot on your reputation and from there, you made a return. You got a new life, in a way. What are you even trying to do?”Afridi revealed this during the panel discussion.
Before the much-awaited encounter between PZ and KK, Amir had made a controversial remark that for him bowling to a top batter or a tail-ender was the same thing. This was a veiled dig at Azam. After failing to claim Azam’s wicket in the match, Amir had shown his frustration by throwing a ball at the Zalmi skipper for no reason.
Reports have poured in that Wasim and Azam do not share a healthy bond. After losing their three matches in a row in the PSL, Wasim after winning the fourth game against Lahore Qalandars by 67 runs refused to respond to a question about Azam.
Wasim for playing a captain’s cameo (35* in 19 balls) and bowling well (23/1 in 4 overs) was adjudged player of the match, but the three consecutive losses seemed to be weighing heavily on his head. In the post-match conference, Wasim dodged the question about Azam. “It is not like that. Everything that comes on media, sometimes it (is) true, 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.
But Azam is respected across the globe and teammates including Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Haris, Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah, and others adore their skipper and regularly shower accolades on him.
@iMRizwanPak
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