Former Pakistan speedster Mohammad Amir was not too impressed by the Pakistan team’s strategy to drop young fast-bowling sensation Ihsanullah from playing 11 for the New Zealand series on home soil. The 20-year-old was the highest wicket-taker in the Afghanistan series with six wickets.
Mohammad Amir, who is vocal about his opinion on Men in Green, expressed his disappointment over the treatment of Ihsanullah in the team, as he was not played in the series against the Blackcaps so far.
The 31-year-old raised his concerns over the exclusion of the youngster from the playing 11 and said that this would destroy the confidence of the youngster.
“I was looking forward to see @ihsanullah150 bowl in NZ series but he has been benched. Ihsan @thePSLt20 ka aur Afghanistan series ka sabse acha bowler tha. Everyone was enjoying his fast & furious bowling & celebration. We should groom Ihsan instead of destroying his confidence,” Amir tweeted.
I was looking forward to see @ihsanullah150 bowl in NZ series but he has been benched.
Ihsan @thePSLt20 ka aur Afghanistan series ka sabse acha bowler tha.Everyone was enjoying his fast & furious bowling & celebration.
We should groom Ihsan instead of destroying his confidence.— Mohammad Amir (@iamamirofficial) April 20, 2023
Pakistan’s team has gone in with the experienced pacer in the series against New Zealand. During the Afghanistan series, Pakistan played with a young team keeping the 2024 T20 World Cup in the mind. The Men in Green suffered their first-ever series defeat against Afghanistan in Sharjah.
In March 2023, at the end of the PSL, Ihsanullah won both the HBL PSL 8 Player of the Tournament award as well the Bowler of HBL PSL 8 award, for his 22 wickets at an economy rate of 7.59. His spell against Quetta Gladiators is also considered the fastest in PSL’s history, with an average speed of 144.37 kph.
Coming to the T20 series, the Pakistan team is currently leading the five-match series 2-1 on home soil, with the fourth game being washed due to rain on Thursday. The Men in Green will take on the Kiwis in the final match of the T20 series on April 24 (Monday). Meanwhile, the ODI series will kick start in Rawalpindi on April 26. The remaining four ODIs will take place in Karachi.
Mohammad Amir Will Not Return To Pakistan National Team
Pakistan Cricket Board completely denied the reports of Mohammad Amir returning to the national team after three years stating that all the stories related to his return are “factually incorrect”.
Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir retired from international cricket a couple of years ago but has performed consistently well in domestic cricket and the global leagues. The left-arm pacer has not represented Pakistan since 2020 after quitting international cricket due to reported differences with the-then head coach Misbah-ul-Haq.
On the other hand, there is also the fact that Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, and Ihsanullah are ahead of him in the queue for consideration.