"Friendship takes a backseat" - Mohammad Amir opens up on his rivalry with Babar Azam

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir recently opened up on his much-hyped rivalry with star batter Babar Azam in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023.

Both crossed swords a couple of times in PSL 2023. In one instance, Amir was seen throwing the ball towards Babar in frustration during a game between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings.

In their next meeting, the left-arm pacer trapped the Pakistan skipper for a duck.

When quizzed about his rivalry with Babar, Amir told Hindustan Times Digital:

"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," he continued. "In franchise cricket, such kind of batsman versus bowler competition keeps fans engaged and even the branding and the hype around the tournament reaches a new level. As you mentioned, people on social media enjoyed it a lot. I enjoyed it a lot myself as well."

Amir picked up nine wickets in seven games in PSL 2023 with the best figures of 4/26 coming against Babar's Peshawar Zalmi. He left the squad midway to participate in the ongoing Legends League Cricket in Doha.

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"Want to soak in this atmosphere" - Mohammad Amir on playing the Legends League Cricket

Mohammad Amir left PSL 2023 to participate in the ongoing Legends League Cricket in Doha, Qatar.

When asked about the same, the left-arm pacer highlighted that his main aim is to share the dressing room with legendary cricketers.

"It was never my aim to come here for some serious cricket. I just wanted to go to the ground and sit with these legends and share the dressing room with them," he said. "With Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar, I have only played one to two years of cricket because after that they retired.

"Then there are legends like Brett Lee, whom I want to see on the ground and want to soak in this atmosphere because most of them I watched on TV. I am really very excited to play with them, and against a few of them. It going to be a lot of fun."

Amir will be seen plying his trade for the Asia Lions led by former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi.

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