'Don't know what he was thinking when he said that' - Mohammad Amir reacts to Shahid Afridi's old claim involving Babar Azam

Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir is one of the most active cricketers on social media. He retired from international cricket in 2020 after claiming that he had been "mentally tortured" by the team management. However, 31-year-old continues to play sporadically in T20 leagues, including the Pakistan Super League.

During the 2023 edition of the Pakistan Super League, Amir had a heated moment with Pakistan captain Babar Azam during a match between Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi. The right-handed batter looked in fine touch as he hit a couple of glorious boundaries off the bowling of his former Pakistan teammate. This didn't sit well with the seamer as he threw the ball toward Azam in anger.

Amir received a lot of flak for his behaviour while Shahid Afridi also weighed in on the incident on a television channel. Afridi claimed that he had sent Amir a text message, admonishing him for his actions.

"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? If you want to play for Pakistan, you have to play alongside Babar only. Will you be able to look at him in the eye? Can you play under his captaincy? Focus on your performance, control your aggression, and go back home peacefully,” Afridi had mentioned.

Amir has finally reacted to Afridi's claim, denying receiving any such text message. Instead, the text message that Amir received, was about the senior statesman praising him for his performance and enquiring about the state of his injury.

“I received his message but this wasn't it. He only praised my bowling and enquired about my injury. But the things like 'how will you face Babar'... this wasn't in his texts at all. What harm have I caused Babar or vice-versa? I found it very weird. I don't know what he was thinking when he said that. I guess he speaks a little quickly so he might have mistakenly said that,” Amir was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

“Babar and I have a mutual understanding and respect. He never bad-mouthed me and same from my side as well. But public thinks we are enemies. It was never like that,” Amir added.