Karachi’s cricket scene hums with rivalries, but few burn as bright as the one between Mohammad Amir and Babar Azam. On April 16, 2025, Amir, the left-arm pacer with a knack for rattling stumps, pulled back the curtain on his on-field tussle with Pakistan’s batting maestro during a press conference in Lahore. The room, packed with journalists scribbling notes, buzzed as Amir leaned into the mic, his voice steady but laced with the grit of someone who’s bowled a thousand hostile overs.
Amir didn’t mince words. He described facing Azam as a chess match, not just a bowler-versus-batter slugfest. “Babar’s world-class,” he said, pausing to sip water, “but when you’re up against someone that good, you’ve got to outsmart him.” He recounted a moment from a Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023 match where he dismissed Azam with a ball that jagged in, catching the batter off-guard. Amir’s eyes lit up as he explained his plan: knowing Azam expected an outswinger, he gambled on an inswinger instead. It worked. Azam’s stumps were splayed, and Amir’s fist-pump celebration had the crowd roaring.
The rivalry isn’t just about wickets, though. Amir admitted the heat of those moments—when he’s charging in, adrenaline pumping, and Azam’s at the crease, cool as ever—fuels something bigger. It’s not personal, he stressed, but it’s intense. In a February 2023 interview with a major sports outlet, Amir had called their clashes “the kind of battles fans live for.” He doubled down on that in Lahore, saying the aggression is part of the game’s soul. “You show fire on the field, but off it, it’s respect,” he said, nodding to Azam’s stature as Pakistan’s captain and a global cricket icon.
Amir also touched on a quieter side of their dynamic. Last year, when Azam was briefly dropped from the national side, Amir picked up the phone. On December 25, 2024, he revealed he’d called to lift Azam’s spirits, telling him slumps come for every player. “I said, ‘Relax, you’ll be back stronger,’” Amir recalled, his tone softer but firm. That call, he insisted, wasn’t about rivalry—it was about camaraderie forged through years in the same dressing room.
Their saga stretches back to PSL’s early days, with standout moments like Amir’s fiery spell against Azam’s Quetta Gladiators in 2019. Official match reports from that game note Amir’s three wickets, including Azam’s, as pivotal in Karachi Kings’ win. Numbers tell part of the story: in PSL head-to-heads, Amir has dismissed Azam four times across 12 matches, a stat confirmed by league records. But it’s the electricity of those duels—Amir’s searing pace against Azam’s silken cover drives—that sticks with fans.
Amir’s latest comments came after a PSL 2025 match on March 10, where he bowled a tight spell but couldn’t snag Azam, who anchored a chase with an unbeaten 70. Asked if Azam had the upper hand this time, Amir smirked. “He won that round,” he said, “but the game’s never over.” The press room chuckled, but his point landed: this rivalry, built on mutual respect and relentless competition, is far from done.
Amir, 33, retired from international cricket in 2020 but returned briefly for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Azam, 30, remains Pakistan’s batting linchpin and captain. Their next PSL face-off is slated for early 2026.