Daily Times

Left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir returned to Pakistan’s national cricket squad after nearly four years on Tuesday as the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) selection committee announced his name in the 17-man squad for the upcoming T20 home series against New Zealand.

The pacer played his last T20 international against England in August 2020 before he quit international cricket, saying he was mentally tortured. However, last month Amir announced he is available for the upcoming T20 World Cup after having “positive discussions” with PCB officials.

Amir was the second Pakistan player who came out of retirement and showed interest in returning to international cricket last month. The other was Pakistani all-rounder Imad Wasim, who has also been selected for the New Zealand series.

“The decision to include Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir was a straightforward one, given their availability for selection and considering Haris Rauf’s injury and Mohammad Nawaz’s current form,” selection committee member Wahab Riaz told reporters at the PCB headquarters in Lahore.

“Both Amir and Imad possess undeniable match-winning capabilities, and we trust they will consistently deliver strong performances to bolster the team’s objectives.” Amir has played in 50 T20Is in which he has taken 59 wickets at an economy-rate of 7.02. Wasim has played 66 T20Is in which he has scored 486 runs at a strike-rate of 131.7 and taken 65 wickets at an economy-rate of 6.26. He last played for Pakistan 12 months ago at his home ground in Rawalpindi against New Zealand.

Other prominent call-ups to the national squad included former UAE cricketer Usman Khan and the uncapped Irfan Khan. Usman Khan smashed two centuries and two half-centuries in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 to help his side reach the final where they lost to Islamabad United in a last-ball thriller.

“Today, I am absolutely thrilled and filled with joy as the selectors have granted me the opportunity to be part of the upcoming series against New Zealand,” Usman Khan said.

He has featured in 36 T20s in which he has scored 1,207 runs at a strike-rate of 146.12.

Meanwhile, Irfan Khan won the Emerging Player and Best Fielder of the PSL 9 tournament after scoring 171 runs at a strike-rate of 140.16. Overall, the 21-year-old has featured in 34 T20s in which he has scored 499 runs at a strike-rate of 135.96. The batter has also represented Pakistan in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cups 2020 and 2022.

Pacer Haris Rauf has failed to make the cut as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury that cut short his PSL 9 campaign.

Squad:

Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohmmad Amir,, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usama Mir, Usman Khan and Zaman Khan.

Reserves: Haseebullah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Sahibzada Farhan, and Salman Ali Agha.