Mohammad Amir voices support for under-fire Babar Azam

Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir spoke out in Babar Azam’s support as the former national team captain is being criticised after Pakistan’s long-awaited Test victory at home.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made four changes prior to the second Test against England, dropping star batsman Babar Azam, fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, and wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed.

Babar Azam was unable to cross the fifty-run mark in the longest format since December 2022.

Following the changes, a fierce spin attack powered Pakistan to their first victory at home in Test cricket since their win against South Africa back in February 2021 as they thumped England by 152 runs in the second Test of the three-match series at Multan International Cricket Stadium.

Consistent domestic performer Kamran Ghulam, who came in as Babar Azam’s replacement, smashed a well-crafted century on debut, pivotal in guiding Pakistan to a formidable total in the first innings.

Kamran Ghulam’s century made things worse for Babar Azam as social media trolls targetted the latter, claiming that the national team eventually won at home after he was dropped.

This did not sit well with experienced pacer Mohammad Amir, who despite being a vocal critic of Babar Azam in the past, supported the star batter amid social media trolling.

“Please stop with these petty talks that Babar was not in the team, that is why we won. We won because of better strategy and took advantage of playing on home ground,” wrote Mohammad  Amiron X, formerly Twitter.

Yar pls yeah ghatia soch khatam karo k babar team me ni tha ya woh player ni tha to team jeet gayi .hum better planning k sath khaile home advantage liya or jeet gaye. pls personal na hn apne player’s k sath yes performance base ap bat Karen but pls personal na hn.

— Mohammad Amir (@iamamirofficial) October 18, 2024

 He then went on to urge fans to discuss a player’s performance instead of getting “personal”.

“Please do not get personal with your players. Criticize their performance, but avoid personal remarks,” he added.