PSL 2023: Twitter divided on 'aggressive' Mohammad Amir

Rivalries in cricket are nothing new, but if you mess with someone as popular as Babar Azam, their fans might end up more unforgiving than you bargained for. This seems to be the case for Muhammad Amir, who recently irked most of the country’s cricket fans by making a demeaning statement about Azam — who is arguably one of the world’s best cricketers.

As Karachi Kings lost their second game of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023 on their home ground again, many netizens just couldn’t help but take issue with Amir’s aggressive attitude in the game, prompting them to churn out cheeky memes as soon as Karachi lost the match.

During the match earlier today, as Islamabad United’s Hassan Nawaz was batting, Amir caught the ball, taking a wicket.

Immediately afterwards, as his teammate gathered around him, Amir made a gesture of putting his finger on his lips, which many considered condescending given his generally aggressive body language, and called out Amir on Twitter.

Interestingly enough, fans did not hold back and dragged the Babar Azam statement into this conversation, with one fan saying: “Such a fall from grace. Bhai youngster ko out kiya hai Babar ko nhi [you have taken the wicket of a younger player, not Babar Azam].”

Many also felt that the gesture was not merely condescending but also exaggerated, given that Nawaz is an emerging player, while Amir is more seasoned.

One user slammed Amir’s attitude by pointing out that other cricketers did not seem so boastful, even after taking on seasoned players.

Many others criticised the matter in an ever more scathingly — some suggesting Amir should retire, others saying he exhibited a lack of respect for the game.

However, many Amir fans defended their idol by dismissing his behaviour as typical of fast bowlers, pointing out that other cricketers who were aggressive got off much more lightly than Amir.

One user said: “I don’t know why [people are] trolling Amir today? He’s performing and celebrating that’s it. When Shaheen did this to Sarfraz every seasonal fan [was] like “fast bowler h[ai] aggression tu dikhae ga[He is a fast bowler, he is bound to show aggression].”

It must be noted that recently Nawaz gushed over Amir and expressed his excitement over facing him during the tournament.

In his interview with Geosuper.tv, Nawaz said he wants to play well against his favourite bowler Amir.

"Amir is my favourite 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.