Fast bowler Mohammad Amir is set to join the Pakistani team in Ireland on Friday for the upcoming three-match T20 international series, although he will miss the opening match against the hosts.
Amir departed for Dublin on a flight scheduled at 3:30 am today. While he is unlikely to be considered for selection in the first T20I, he will be available for the subsequent matches on Sunday and Tuesday.
His departure was delayed due to the late issuance of his visa, which was facilitated by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
The PCB worked actively with Cricket Ireland to resolve Amir’s visa situation, with all players, including Amir, having their visa applications processed immediately after the Kakul camp.
However, concerns arose at the PCB headquarters when Amir encountered delays in obtaining his visa.
Amir, along with Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt, was banned from international cricket for five years by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in a spot-fixing case in 2010.
He also served half of a six-month custodial sentence in young offenders’ institutes in Feltham and Dorset.
Following his return to cricket in 2016, the 31-year-old played a pivotal role in Pakistan’s victory in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, where they defeated arch-rivals India in the final.
Amir’s memorable spell in the final saw him dismissing top Indian batsmen, including Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Virat Kohli.
Despite announcing his international retirement at the age of 28 in December 2020, citing mental torture under the management, Amir rescinded his decision ahead of the recent series against New Zealand and was included in the national squad.
After the T20I series against Ireland, Pakistan will travel to Leeds, England, for a four-match T20I series on May 22, 25, 28, and 30, followed by the T20 World Cup in the United States.
The squads for the series are as follows:
Ireland:
Paul Stirling (c), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Barry McCarthy, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.
Pakistan:
Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan.
