NEW DELHI: Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir once again decided to hang his boots from international cricket months after reversing his earlier retirement to participate in the T20 World Cup in the United States and West Indies.
Amir, who faced a five-year ban from cricket between 2010 and 2015 for spot-fixing and served a brief jail term for his actions, had previously retired from all forms of international cricket in 2020.
Amit played 36 Tests taking 119 wickets. He took 81 wickets in 61 ODIs and in 62 T20Is he grabbed 71 wickets.
A timeline of Amir’s international retirements:
July 2019: Amir announced his retirement from Test cricket
Amir decided to bid adieu to Test cricket to concentrate on limited-overs formats. Having started his Test career at the age of 17 in July 2009, Amir claimed 51 wickets in 14 Tests at 29.09 before being implicated in the Lord’s spot-fixing controversy. After resuming his career in 2016, he secured 68 wickets in 22 Test matches with an average of 31.51.
December 2020: ‘Mental torture’ forced Amir to retire from international cricket
Amir ended his international career in 2020, following his allegations of facing “mentally tortured” treatment from the Pakistan team management. He specifically directed his accusations towards the coaching staff, notably Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis.
“The 28-year-old confirmed to the PCB chief executive that he has no desires or intentions of playing international cricket and as such, he should not be considered for future international matches. This is a personal decision of Mohammad Amir, which the PCB respects, and as such, will not make any further comment on this matter at this stage,” PCB statement stated.
March 2024: Amir dreamt of playing for Pakistan
Amir expressed his desire to be considered for Pakistan’s squad in the T20 World Cup 2024.
“I still dream of playing for Pakistan. There have been a few positive discussions between myself and the PCB where they respectfully made me feel that I was needed and can still play for Pakistan, and after discussing with family and well wishers I declare that I am available to be considered for the upcoming T20 WC,” he posted on social media.
December 14, 2024: Amir announces retirement from international cricket
“These decisions are never easy but are inevitable. I feel this is the right time for the next generation to take the baton and elevate Pakistan Cricket to new heights,” he wrote on social media.