Mohammad Amir Is One Of The Best Left-arm Bowlers In The World - Babar Azam Says He Will Discuss The Pacer's Return From Retirement
Published - 01 Jun 2021, 02:36 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:47 AM
Babar Azam, the all-format Pakistan captain, says he will have discussions with Mohammad Amir about his retirement and the possibility of making a comeback to the national side.
Last December, the pacer made an abrupt retirement from international cricket, aged 28. He cited issues with the management, especially head coach Misbahul Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis, as a reason for that. He also said that he was “mentally tortured” by the coaches in the Pakistan team.
Babar, who is in the same team, Karachi Kings, as Amir, reckons the speedster is one of the best left-arm bowlers in the world, and that they will talk at length about his problems and his retirement. Amir picked 119 Test wickets in 36 Tests, 81 ODI, and 51 T20Is scalps in a career truncated with a long ban due to his spot-fixing incident.
Both the players will be seen playing in the PSL 2021, which is set to resume in the UAE after being suspended in early March following the covid-19 outbreak among players and staff.
“I haven’t spoken to him yet [regarding retirement] but we will discuss the problems he is facing when I get the opportunity to talk to him,” Babar Azam told the website ‘Cricket Pakistan’ in an exclusive interview.
“He is one of the best left-arm bowlers [in the world] and I really like him. I’m hopeful that he continues to perform well in the upcoming second half of PSL,” he added.
We have PSL to identify players who can fit into the Pakistan team: Babar Azam
Babar, who played under all-rounder Imad Wasim at the Kings, asserts the importance of PSL in Pakistan cricket as the tournament helps them find young talents to promote to the national reckoning.
With the T20 World Cup coming in consecutive years, the Pakistan skipper hoped to find some talented cricketers to include in the setup. Following the PSL, the Men in Green are slated for a tour of England and then the West Indies.
“We have this tournament [PSL] to identify players who can fit into the Pakistan team. We will keep an eye on it and definitely consider them as we want to do whatever is best for the team,” the 26-year-old concluded.