The rivalry between Mohammad Amir and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam made headlines last month in the initial phase of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023. Amir had made a controversial statement that bowling to Azam or a no.10 batter is the same for him. While there was widespread criticism of his naked aggression including former Shahid Afridi, the left-arm pacer is in no mood to hold back against Azam.
Amir who has joined Afridi-led Asia Lions squad in ongoing Legends League Cricket (LLC) feels the rivalry is “necessary”. He believes that rivalries like these help the league as it engages fans on social media.
“As a cricketer, I feel this is necessary. When you take the ground against one of the best players in the world, friendship takes a back seat because you want to give your best. In the ground, as a bowler, you kind of need that aggression no matter the batter. And in franchise cricket, such kind of batsman versus bowler competition keeps fans engaged and even the branding and the hype around the tournament reaches new level. As you mentioned, people on social media enjoyed that a lot. I enjoyed it a lot myself as well,” the 30-year-old was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
On the other hand, Azam had said that he does not take the rivalry seriously and wants to focus only on 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,” Azam had told Cricket Pakistan last month.
Afridi-led Asia Lions on March 13 continued their unbeaten run in LLC at Doha with a 35-run win over Aaron Finch-led World Giants. They will now take on Gautam Gambhir-led India Maharajas on March 14. The Maharajas are yet to register their first win after suffering two straight losses while chasing.
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