Former Pakistan speedster Mohammad Amir, who hanged his boots from international cricket in December 2020, has now revealed his plans about his future in the game beside hinting that if given a chance, he will participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world’s most popular T20 tournament.
Amir, a left-arm pacer, is currently seen featuring in franchise cricket across the globe and plans to raise his kids in England as he has now applied for the British Citizenship.
Notab;y, doors for Amir to play in the IPL can open once he gets the British Citizenship.
In a recent interview to PakPassion.net, Amir said: “At the moment I’ve been granted indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom. I’m enjoying my cricket these days and plan to play for another 6 or 7 years so let’s see how things go. My children will grow up in England and receive their education there so no doubt I will be spending a fair amount of time there. At the moment, I’ve not really thought about the other possibilities and opportunities available and how things will turn out when I receive British citizenship in the future.”
In his controversial international career, the left-arm pacer featured in 36 Tests, 61 ODIs and 50 T20Is. He later, cited ‘mental torture’ by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the team management as the reason behind his decision to retire.
He had also openly criticised Pakistan coaching staff including Waqar Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq on several occassions.
“Some have such a mindset where they feel that a certain person can never do anything right. No matter what that player does, they will twist it and turn it into a negative. I am only playing in the leagues that are available to other Pakistani cricketers and it’s not as if there are any special leagues being organised just for my benefit. Are other players being called out for putting money first? For example, Haider Ali recently signed to play in the Caribbean Premier League, are people calling him a money-grabber?,” ke expressed.
Indirectly hinting at his willingness to play in the IPL, Amir, without naming the league, said: “If players are getting an opportunity to play in a league, then they should go for it.”
“When I was dropped from the Pakistan side, I was going to grab every opportunity so that I could improve and prove to others that I can still perform and people accepted that. But, then when I retired from Test cricket and I was playing in leagues around the world, suddenly people started saying it was all about money,” Amir added.