‘You need a bit of rivalry’: Wasim Akram defends Mohammad Amir’s on-field antics

“What’s the point of going into a PSL game, or any game, and shaking hands with the batter and hugging them?” he added.

“Ok, after the game, before the game, I am all for it. But during the game, be professional, and these little words off the field also adds spice to PSL. That is the beauty of PSL. We should enjoy instead of criticising the person individually and consistently,” he concluded.

Ahead of the clash between Karachi Kings will take on Babar’s Peshawar Zalmi earlier this month Amir on the ARY News programme PSL Special “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.”

The comment was not taken well by the fans and many former players.

Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi responding to the comment said, “Amir said this about Babar? Surprising. You go to any team in any part of the cricketing world and say Babar Azam is plying, they will say, ‘Oh Babar Azam. King. This kind of stuff shouldn’t happen. Babar is our captain and we respect him. It’s obvious that if we as Pakistanis don’t respect our captain, then who will?” Shaheen told Geo Super

Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi on Samaa TV said, “Whenever a player doesn’t perform, or even if he does, I drop him a message for call him. Likewise, I messaged Amir yesterday. 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?”

Ye koi tareeka hai? (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 added.

“If you want to play for Pakistan, you have to play alongside Babar only. Will you be able to look him in the eye? Can you play under his captaincy?

Focus on your performance, control your aggression, and go back home peacefully,” Afridi explained.