Mohammad Amir rubbishes rumours of withdrawing retirement

Former Pakistani pacer Mohammad Amir has cleared the air on rumours, saying he is not planning to withdraw his retirement as of now. 

Instead, the star pacer said, he is focusing on the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL), in which he is the brand ambassador of Karachi Kings.

The fast bowler has also been practising at the National High Performance Center (NHPC) in preparation for his participation in the 2023 edition of the Bangladesh Premier League. Amir said that he sought permission to train the NHPC from the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Najam Sethi. “Najam Sethi was kind enough to allow me to train at the NHPC.”

Amir had retired from international cricket in December 2020, citing “mental torture” and the “hostile environment” he faced at the hands of PCB management as the reason for his departure. 

Earlier this year after Ramiz Raja, the former PCB chairman, announced that he had made up his mind to resign, it was expected that the fast bowler would come out of retirement.

However, despite the fact that the PCB chairmanship has changed, Amir has said that he still does not intend to withdraw from retirement and is focusing on the 8th edition of PSL. “If Allah wills, I will play for Pakistan again,” he added, leaving hopes for fans for his return. Amir also praised the performance of the Pakistani team in the first Karachi Test, which ended in a draw. “Imam-ul-Haq Sarfaraz Ahmed and Saud Shakeel batted well,” he said.

It is pertinent to mention here, in a recent interview, Ramiz Raja revealed that the reason for not selecting Amir for the team was “selection”. 

He said, “Amir's inclusion in the team is on the basis of selection criteria.” 

He further said that it was not in his hands. “Should Shaheen be made the 12th player or should Haris Rauf or Wasim Junior be left out for Amir? These young lads focus only on cricket, instead of politics and Twitter” he lambasted.