āI have been torturedā - Mohammed Amir announces to quit international cricket indefinitely
Amir announces his retirement
|Getty
Mohammed Amir has alleged the Pakistan management of mentally harassing him and stated that he will quit international cricket for an indefinite period. The pacer was not a part of the 35-member squad that toured New Zealand and Amir called it a wake-up call for him to leave international cricket.
After being left out of the Pakistan squad that toured New Zealand, the left-arm pacer turned up for Galle Gladiators in the Lanka Premier League picking up 11 wickets in the process and helped the side finish as the runners-up for the inaugural edition. However, in a video released by Pakistani journalist Shoaib Jatt on social media, he spoke about how he went through a period of mental struggle which prompted the decision to quit cricket for the time being.
"No, I am not going away from cricket. If you have seen the way the atmosphere over here and the way I have been sidelined. I got a wake-up call there when I was not selected in 35 boys. If I don't get selected in the 35-member squad, then it means to wake up call for me," Amir said in a video shared by Pakistan journalist Shoaib Jatt on social media.
"I don't think I can play cricket under this management. I think I should leave cricket this time. I am being tortured mentally. I don't think I can tolerate any more torture now. I have seen a lot of torture from 2010 to 2015. I was away from the game and sentenced for my mistake.ā
As a prodigy, Amir took the international cricket by storm but found himself tangled in the spot-fixing controversy which took five years away from him. He made a roaring comeback and then helped Pakistan win the Champions Trophy in 2017 but suddenly lost his mojo in the limited-overs format. He announced his retirement from Tests to solely focus on his white-ball skill but it never really materialised.
Now while he hasnāt confirmed if he will never play for Pakistan in the future but in the video, thanked former PCB chairman Najam Sethi and former all-rounder Shahid Afridi for supporting him at his worst.
"I am being tortured again and again that PCB invested in me. I still give credit to the two people from PCB. I returned after completing the sentence of five years. Not that I returned after a year. Sethi Sahab and Shahid Afridi were the two people whom I will thank forever. Both of them supported me at a tough time. The rest of the team said that we will not play with Mohammad Amir," Amir said.
PCB clarified the retirement later in a press release and calling it a personal decision, decided not to make any further statement on the issue.
"Pakistan Cricket Board chief executive Wasim Khan spoke with Mohammad Amir this afternoon following reports that the fast bowler had announced his retirement from international cricket. The 29-year-old confirmed to the PCB chief executive that he has no desires or intensions 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," the released stated.
