'He really said that for Babar Azam?' Shaheen Afridi surprised on Mohammad Amir's comment for Pakistan captain

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Shaheen Shah Afridi was left bewildered after being told about Islamabad United pacer Mohammad Amir's statement in connection with Peshawar Zalmi and Pakistan captan Babar Azam.

The comments from Amir had come after his team Karachi Kings' match against Peshawar Zalmi on Tuesday. In the match Babar had scored some scintillating boundaries off the left-arm pacer who on stance threw the ball towards the star batter in frustration.

What had Mohammad Amir said?

"These kinds of matchups and player rivalries keep players on their toes. I personally like these sort of challenges because it keeps me focused. My job is to take wickets and win matches for my team, so for me, facing Babar or a tailender batting at number 10 will be the same," Amir had said on ARY news.

Lahore Qalandars pacer Shaheen had a perplexed reaction when informed about the former Pakistan cricketer's comments.

"He really said that for Babar? That's surprising. If you go anywhere in the world and say that Babar is playing for us, they will say 'Oh, Babar! (He's a) King," Afridi told Pakistan in a chat on Geo News.

"This shouldn't happen. Babar is our no.1 player and we respect him. If we, as Pakistanis, won't respect him, who else will do?"Afridi further said.

Amir's Islamabad United teammate Shoaib Malik had played down any rift between Amir and Babar. The veteran cricketer asserted that players are to do stuffs which motivates them, adding that there is a lot of mutual respect between all the players/

"One thing should not be missing and that is respect. I have seen that Babar, Amir and Imad respect each other when they meet," Malik had said, as per Cricket Pakistan.

"The rivalry is healthy for the league. You should give your best when you are in the field. It is your responsibility how to motivate yourself. If something encourages you to get the best out of you, then you should definitely do that. The good thing is everyone respects each other and doesn't cross the line," he had added.