Shaheen Shah Afridi
Shaheen Shah Afridi Credits: Twitter

Earlier this week, Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir agitated a controversy when he compared bowling to Babar Azam same to a tailender. Speaking to the media ahead of Karachi Kings’ match against Peshawar Zalmi, Amir said that bowling to Babar for him is similar to bowling at a tailender for him.

Shaheen Afridi, who is one of the leading pacers of Pakistan at the moment, came in as a support for Pakistan’s Skipper for speaking to Pakistan news channel Geo News

“He said that for Babar? That’s surprising. If you go anywhere in the world and say that Babar is playing for us, they will say ‘Oh, Babar! (He’s a) King,” Afridi said

Babar Azam
Babar Azam Credits: Twitter

Shaheen Afridi said that Babar is Pakistan’s no.1 player and everyone should respect him for his contribution to Pakistan cricket and questioned if homegrown players don’t support him, then who else will support him

“This shouldn’t happen. Babar is our no.1 player and we respect him. If we, as Pakistanis, won’t respect him, who else will do?” Afridi further stated.

Current Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, has been facing criticism regarding his captaincy after he failed to win a single Test at home against England and New Zealand. Many former cricketers want Babar Azam to give up his leadership role in one format.

It Was Nothing Personal Against Babar Azam – Mohammad Amir On Throwing Ball At Babar Azam

In a match between Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi, Amir was hit for a four by the Pakistan captain on the penultimate ball of the sixth over of the game. After that, the left-arm pacer bowled a dot delivery and then collected the ball on the follow-through and threw the ball in Babar’s direction in anger.

“It was the heat of the moment thing and it was nothing personal [against Babar]. Bowlers should show aggression on the field, to get the best out of them,”  Amir Said

Amir said nothing was personal against Babar and it was just the heat of the moment and added that it was the beauty of the game and it helps him to perform better.