Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir revealed that he reached out to Babar Azam when he was dropped from the Test squad during the recent home series against England.
Speaking during a podcast interview, Amir shared insights into his supportive conversation with Babar.
"When he was dropped, I called him. I told him that this happens to every player. I told him not to worry about it. I told him that from here, it would only get better for him," said Amir
"The worst thing for a cricketer is getting dropped from the team. It can't get worse than this. It will get better for you. I wished him on his birthday," he added.
The left-arm pacer added that he reminded the former skipper of the challenges that come with a cricket career and encouraged him to take setbacks as opportunities to grow stronger.
"I told him that this is not the only time it has happened and it will happen more in the future (on being dropped). This is not a one-time thing. A cricketer's life is like that. But from here, a person comes back stronger," he said.
"He says that I will take this as a challenge and I have to come back. He doubles his hard work. This happened when he was dropped against England," he concluded.
It is pertinent to mention that the 30-year-old was excluded from Pakistan's squad for the second and third Tests against England, with Kamran Ghulam stepping in as his replacement.
Kamran scored a magnificent century, contributing significantly to Pakistan's series win over England, marking their first home series victory in three years.
Babar received considerable criticism for his underwhelming performance in the Tests, leading to widespread calls for his omission.
The highly anticipated first Test against South Africa begins tomorrow at Centurion, as part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle.
Pakistan-South Africa Test series schedule:
- 26-30 Dec – 1st Test, Centurion
- 3-7 Jan – 2nd Test, Cape Town
- Mohammad Amir
- Babar Azam