Mohammad Amir breaks silence on throwing ball towards Babar Azam in PSL match: 'Bowlers should show aggression'

Mohammad Amir explained his controversial ball throwing incident at Babar Azam, which took place during a PSL match.

Mohammad Amir had a night to forget as Karachi Kings crashed to a defeat vs Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League, in Karachi on Tuesday. The pacer conceded 42 runs in four overs, and failed to register any wickets, as Peshawar posted 199 for five in 20 overs, setting a target of 200 runs.

Mohammad Amir explained his ball throwing incident at Babar Azam.

Babar Azam was in top form and slammed 68 runs off 46 deliveries, packed with seven fours and a six. In particular, he punished Amir with much aplomb and also received a rash reaction from the bowler. Tom Kohler-Cadmore was dominant against the Karachi bowlers and slammed 92 runs off 50 deliveries, including seven fours and six sixes.

In the sixth over of the match, Amir sent a poor delivery down the leg side, which Babar glanced away to the boundary. The Peshawar captain had also smacked a boundary against Amir previously in the first over. In the next delivery of the sixth over, Babar put in a defensive shot towards Amir, which the pacer threw in the direction of the batter. The throw wasn't aimed at Babar, and was collected by the wicketkeeper.

Reacting to the incident, Amir revealed that it happened in the 'heat of the moment and it wasn't personal'. "It was a heat of the moment thing and it was nothing personal [against Babar]. Bowlers should show aggression on the field, to get the best out of them", he said.

"I was under pressure in the game, which is the beauty of this league. It helps you get better", he further added.

Chasing a target of 200 overs, Karachi reached 197 for five in 20 overs, despite an unbeaten knock of 80 runs off 47 balls by Imad Wasim, and a half-century by Shoaib Malik. James Neesham and Wahab Riaz were in splendid form for Peshawar and took two-wicket hauls respectively.