Mohammad Amir, who recently alleged ‘mental torture’ by the Pakistan team management and announced his shock retirement from international cricket, has thanked former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi for standing by him even when the entire Pakistan team was up against him.
The 28-year-old recalled the moment when his former teammates were not ready to play alongside him because of his role and involvement in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal in England.
Mohammad Amir: Shahid Afridi Stood Rock Solid By Me And Said I Will Play Come What May
Mohammad Amir served a 5-year ban for his role in a spot-fixing incident in 2010 for bowling two deliberate no-balls during Pakistan’s tour of England.
Mohammad Amir, said that Afridi was the only one who stood rock solid by him and said, “Amir will play come what may.”
“The entire team was on one side and did not want to play with me but Shahid bhai said, ‘Amir will play come what may’. I will always be thankful to these two,” Mohammad Amir said in a YouTube video.
Further, Mohammad Amir asserted that his decision to not play international cricket was not just an emotional one. He also revealed that he used to get regular taunting from some of his teammates for his role in the infamous incident which saw him banned for 5 years before he returned on New Zealand tour in 2016.
“This is not an emotional decision. I took this step after putting much thought into it,”
“See, not everyone has [the same] guts as I have. If I made a mistake, I came clean in front of everyone and apologized for it as well and faced this issue,” he said.
On 26 July 2019, he announced his retirement from Test cricket in order to focus on limited-overs cricket. On 17 December 2020, he announced his retirement from international cricket.
Mohammad Amir Came Back After 5 Year Ban With Excellent Spell At Asia Cup, Pakistan Super League And Champions Trophy 2017
Mohammad Amir stated that he successfully made a return to international cricket after his ban ended in 2015 by stellar performances in 2016 Asia Cup, Pakistan Super League and Champions Trophy 2017.
“I came back and with Allah’s help bowled a very good spell at the Asia Cup and then became the first bowler to take a hat-trick in the PSL. I also helped Pakistan win the ICC Champions Trophy 2017,” Mohammad Amir added.
Mohammad Amir also denied having any issue or conflict with PCB CEO Wasim Khan or the board’s chairman Ehsan Mani.
“I have reservations with the current team management. This ‘yes boss, yes boss culture’ cannot be allowed to go on,” he added.
Mohammad Amir played a major role in Pakistan’s 2017 Champions Trophy win as he picked three wickets conceding 16 runs in final against India. He picked 5 wickets in that series. In 2019 World Cup, he picked 17 wickets averaging 21.06 playing eight games. In 2016 Asia Cup which was a T20 affair, he picked 7 wickets averaging 11.57 in 4 games.