The Pakistani star is fed up with his involvement in the notorious spot-fixing affair being brought up repeatedly by former national team members.
Mohammed Amir is tired of former Pakistani players always bringing up his role in the notorious spot-fixing incident that shook the cricket world in 2010 after he served five years of suspension and an additional four years of absence from the game. “I have done penance for that big mistake and if you look at my career I was banned from 2010 to 2015 and took retirement from 2020 to 2024 so I have lost nine years but I accept it all as God’s will and I have moved on,” Amir told the press.
Amir, who was only 19 years old in 2010, and fellow pacer Mohammed Asif had intentionally overstepped the mark at the behest of former captain Salman Butt. They were all exposed in an expose published in “News of the World.” All three were briefly imprisoned in the UK, where fixing is illegal, but they were later released. The ICC banned them for five years, from 2010 to 2015. Only Amir returned to international cricket with success, leading Pakistan to victory over India in the Champions Trophy in the UK in 2017. However, in 2020, he retired from all forms of international cricket, following his open disagreements with former PCB chief Ramiz Raja.
After his direct involvement in corruption, Ramiz and a few other Pakistani players have been outspoken in their criticism of the Pakistan cricket establishment for granting him a second opportunity.
In addition, he has taken a lot of flak for coming out of retirement and being added to the Pakistani side without ever participating in local cricket.
“There has been a lot of criticism by some people on me and Imad being selected without playing domestic cricket,” he said.
Amir responded to the critics by stating unequivocally that the PSL is a domestic tournament that he and another comeback player, Imad Wasim, have participated in on a regular basis.I inquire as to what the main domestic Twenty20 competition in Pakistan is. the PSL. Together with frequently appearing in other leagues, Imad and I have both participated in and performed in the PSL. Why were we chosen for the T20 format, then? It would have been completely incorrect, according to Amir, if the selectors had chosen them for Tests or ODIs.I’ve always maintained that in order for players to be considered for the national team, they need to gain experience in first-class domestic competitions as well as other events.
“It was nice of him (the director of the Pakistani team) and he said I could still play for Pakistan but I told him that given the uncertainty in the cricket board and team I would prefer to remain out of international cricket.” He also confirmed that Muhammad Hafeez, the former Test captain, had called him last year and asked if he would consider coming out of retirement. However, in their case, they are only playing Twenty20 cricket and their form and fitness are there for everyone to see.
