Pakistan left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir has admitted that he has moved on from the taunting row he committed along with seniors Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif.
After the trial in a British court, Mohammad Amir was banned by the International Cricket Council. After serving his ban, Amir returned to competitive cricket in 2016 and was also part of the Pakistan team that defeated India in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy final. He also played in the 2019 50-over World Cup in England.
In 2020, Mohammad Amir decided to retire from international cricket and has since played in T20 leagues around the world. However, after Amir’s good performances in the shortest format for various franchises, the Pakistan Cricket Board called him up along with Imad Wasim, who had also retired in 2023.
Last month, during Pakistan’s home T20I series against New ZealandMohammad Amir and Imad Wasim both returned to the international level. They are currently preparing to tour Ireland and England for a three- and four-match T20I series later this month before heading to the USA and West Indies for the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup.
What did Mohammad Amir say about his ban?
Speaking to a Pakistan-based journalist, Mohammad Amir shed light on his mindset after serving the five-year ban over the spot-fixing scandal. Amir stressed that nine years of his cricketing career were wasted due to the ban, but he is happy with it as he knows he has repented for the mistake.
Amir explained that he has put an end to it and the best thing for him is to accept his fate that the Lord wrote above. He also urged fans to put the scandal behind them.
“I have repented for this big mistake and if you look at my career, I was suspended from 2010 to 2015 and retired from 2020 to 2024, so I lost nine years, but I accept everything as God’s will and am moved on.” – Amir told a local Pakistani journalist.
Amir sheds light on the criticism of him and Imad Wasim
Mohammad Amir was also asked to share his thoughts on the criticism he and Imad Wasim faced while being selected in the Pakistan squad for the T20 World Cup.
The left-back reminded everyone that Wasim and himself have played enough cricket in the Pakistan Super League and also actively participated in other leagues. There, Amir threw the question back at the haters and asked what was wrong with their selection in the shortest format if they had been playing T20 cricket regularly.
“There has been a lot of criticism from some people about me and Imad being selected without playing domestic cricket. I ask her what Pakistan’s premier domestic T20 event is. The PSL. And both of us (Imad) have played and played in the PSL. “Apart from the fact that we perform regularly in other leagues, so what’s wrong with selecting us for the T20 format?” he said.