By Usman Khan
ISLAMABAD: The rivalries in cricket are not new, but if you mess with someone as famous as Babar Azam, their followers might end up more unforgiving than you bargained for.
This seems to be the case for M. Amir, who recently irked most of the nation’s cricket fans by making a demeaning statement about Azam, arguably one of the world’s best cricketers.
The Karachi Kings lost their second game of the PSL-8 on their home ground again, and many netizens just could not help but take issue with Amir’s aggressive attitude in the cricket game, prompting them to churn out cheeky memes as soon as karachi Kings lost the match.
PSL match saga
During the cricket match, as Islamabad United’s Hassan Nawaz was batting, Amir caught the ball, taking a wicket.
Immediately afterward, as his teammate gathered around him, Amir made the gesture of putting his finger on his lips, which many considered condescending given his aggressive body language, and called out Amir on Twitter.
Interestingly enough, fans didn’t hold back and dragged the Babar Azam statement into this conversation, with one fan saying: “Such the fall from grace. youngster ko out kiya hai Babar ko nhi [you have taken the wicket of a younger player, not Babar Azam].”
Many felt that the gesture was not merely condescending but also exaggerated, given that Nawaz is the emerging player, while Amir is more seasoned.
One user slammed Amir’s attitude by pointing out the other cricketers did not seem so boastful, even after taking on seasoned players.
Others criticized the matter even more scathingly, some suggesting Amir should retire and others saying he has exhibited a lack of respect for the game.
Many Amir followers defended their idol by dismissing his behavior as typical of fast bowlers, pointing out that the other players who were aggressive got off much more lightly than Amir.
One user said: “I do not know why [people are] trolling Amir today? He’s performing and celebrating that’s it. When Shaheen did this to Sarfraz, every seasonal fan [were] like “fast bowler h[ai] aggression tu dikhae ga[He is fast bowler, he is bound to show aggression].”
It must be noted that the recently Nawaz gushed over Amir and expressed his excitement over facing him during the tournament.
In his interview with Geosuper.tv, Nawaz said that he wants to play well against his favorite bowler Amir.
“Amir is my favorite bowler, and I follow him a lot. Our first match is also against Karachi Kings, so if I get a chance, I am really excited to face him,” the Layyah-born cricketer said.
