Mohammad Amir, the Pakistani speedster who was banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for five years and later served retirement from international cricket for four more years, hs appeaed fans to stop bringing up his spot-fixing crime for which he has already served a statement.
"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 mediapersons as quoted by news agency PTI.
The left-arm speedster was only aged 19 when he deliberately over-stepped along with fellow fast bowler Mohammed Asif after their skipper commanded Salman Butt them to do so. Their spot-fixing scandal was caught in an expose by the 'News Of The World'. The three of them were initially jailed in the United Kingdom (UK) before being released and banned by the ICC.
READ HERE | Mohammad Amir Returns To Pakistan Squad
Among the three only, Amir had made a return to international cricket and was even the reason why Pakistan managed to beat India in the ICC 2017 Champions Trophy final. However, he shocked the cricket world once again when he decided to retire from all forms of international cricket due to his differences with the then team management and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja.
What Is Wrong With Selecting Imad Wasim And Me For The T20 Format When We Have Been Playing In PSL: Amir
Amir and Imad Wasim, who had also retired, however, have come back and are likely to feature in the team's T20 World Cup 2024 squad.
"There has been a lot of criticism by some people on me and Imad being selected without playing domestic cricket," he said.
"I ask them what is Pakistan’s premier domestic T20 event? The PSL. And both of us (Imad) have played and performed in the PSL besides appearing regularly in other leagues. So what is wrong with selecting us for the T20 format.? Amir said if the selectors had picked them for Tests or ODIs it would have been very wrong.
"I myself have always said players must get experience in domestic first class and other events to be considered for the national team. But in our case we are only playing T20 cricket and our form and fitness is there for all to see."