Mohammad Amir, the mercurial left arm Pakistani pacer has confirmed he’s open to making a comeback to international cricket provided the current management at PCB comprising Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis exit. Amir had shockingly announced his retirement from top-flight international cricket in December alleging mental torture by the senior management. This decision sent shockwaves across the cricketing circles. Experts and fans believed that Amir had so many years of bowling left in him and he has taken this decision in haste.
Mohammad Amir’s quitting game:
Amir had earlier quit playing Test cricket in 2019 owing to workload issues. He admitted that he got a wake-up call after being left out of the New Zealand limited-overs series. This prompted him to retire from international cricket altogether. However, his decision doesn’t feel concrete and complete. He has done a complete turnaround on things. Amir believes the doors for him playing international cricket for Pakistan are still open.
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He was quoted saying, “I would like to clarify that yes I will be available for Pakistan only once this management leaves. So please stop spreading fake news just to sell your story.” It was only last week when the 28-year-old left-arm pacer had asked for an end to the ‘scary environment’ in the Pakistan dressing room. He put forth his thoughts saying, “Give players some space and freedom. Put an end to this scary environment in the dressing room, these very players will win you matches.”
Amir roes to prominence in world cricket as someone who could swing the ball at the age of 17 and bowl more than 90 mph. He was a talent who made the whole world take notice. But his career soon went downhill after he was found guilty in a spot-fixing scandal in 2010. He made a comeback into the Pakistani team after completing a 5-year ban in 2016 and it felt that this Amir is here to stay.
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Amir’s crowning glory was his new-ball spell against India in the finals of the Champions Trophy in 2017. But post that Amir had lost a lot of sting in his bowling. He started missing matches for Pakistan and this didn’t go down well with certain sections in the Pakistan cricketing circle.
Misbah-ul-Haq clarifies and responds to allegations:
In response to Amir’s outburst, Pakistan coach Misbah-ul-Haq has clarified that neither he nor Waqar Younis tried to side-line him. He went on to add that, “There was talk about Waqar Younis related to Amir but there is no truth in it at all. There were six coaches as selectors, me as chief selector, and then there was a captain. So this is absolutely not possible, (the claim) that one person out of all could have influenced the decision.”
How will this episode of Mohammad Amir’s career pan out is anybody’s guess? Long live Pakistani cricket!
