Amir’s retirement

It’s unfortunate that a genuinely talented player is being wasted.

Whether or not he is justified in calling it quits in protest against the country’s cricket managers, fast bowler Mohammad Amir has courted controversy – once again. Having remained sidelined for five years for his involvement in the 2010 match-fixing scandal, Amir made a comeback to international cricket in 2015. However, the talented left-arm pacer faced a tough time in finding his place back in the national team for a host of reasons including his tainted past, the emergence of some very good fast bowlers, as well as his own performance. On his return, not only did Amir face resistance from some of his teammates, he also had to endure a backlash from cricket fans. In England, for instance, he was booed and taunted by the spectators during a Test match at the Old Trafford.

However, Amir worked hard to fight his way back. A year after his return, he helped Pakistan win the 2017 Champions Trophy with three wickets in the final against India, and seemed on track to gel in well. With a new crop of pacers constantly making their way into the team, Amir was no more an automatic selection though. That may have put him under some psychological pressure which also affected his performance. In July last year, Amir announced his retirement from Test cricket. And that was where he might have angered head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis. He was thus dropped from the limited-overs home series against Zimbabwe tour and the ongoing New Zealand tour – something that triggered his announcement to retire from international cricket.

It’s unfortunate that a genuinely talented player – who was declared ‘the most talented fast bowler’ by none other than the legendary Wasim Akram and who the likes of Virat Kohli dreaded – is being wasted. No player is bigger than the game though, egos are running high on both sides. Some go-betweens should play a role.