Pakistan left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir is in a peculiar spot in his cricketing career.
He retired from Test cricket last year, at the age of 27, to concentrate on becoming a white-ball specialist and prolong his career. But earlier this year, Amir was dropped from the T20 squad for the series against Bangladesh at home, and that too in the year of the T20 World Cup.
There is a certain level of discontent in the Pakistan setup regarding Amir's decision to retire from Test cricket at such a young age, especially after the management expedited his return to international cricket soon after his five-year ban for spot-fixing. That, and the rise of young quicks Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah has complicated Amir's situation.
However, Amir’s performances in T20 cricket continue to impress. He is Pakistan's second-highest wicket taker in the format in the last two years (18 wickets in 13 T20Is) and was the most successful bowler during the Bangladesh Premier League in January with 20 wickets from 13 games.
During the ongoing Pakistan Super League, Amir has helped Karachi Kings make it to the semi-final stage, having taken 10 scalps from nine matches at a respectable economy of 7.52.
As far as the left-arm seamer in concerned, his decision to retire was the correct one.
"Everyone has their opinion. I know my body the best," Amir told The National. "I felt my body was getting overloaded. I couldn't manage. To prolong my career, I had to take the decision, which was supported by my family. I am feeling much better and the results are visible."
Amir said playing all three formats continuously after his return in 2016 took a heavy toll on his body and fatigue became a big factor.
“Five-year gap is a lot for a bowler. When I came back, I played continuously for three straight years and that too in all formats. Fatigue was bound to happen, especially for fast bowlers. But now I am feeling much better, Alhamdulillah.
“When your focus is on one thing and you are mentally and physically fresh, you can deliver and perform better.”
With Amir putting up respectable numbers in 20-over cricket, the focus automatically shifts to the T20 World Cup in Australia later in the year, and whether Amir sees himself ready to fight his way back into the team and prove his critics wrong. However, Amir says he doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone.
“What do I have to prove?” he laughed. “Performances prove everything. As a professional, whatever opportunities you get, you avail them. Right now, PSL is my focus. I want to enjoy it and perform well. World Cup is a long way away. That’s five-six months away. Now it’s all about PSL.”
Since it’s all about PSL at the moment, Amir is making the most of the opportunity and picking the brains of all-time great and fellow left-arm seamer Wasim Akram, who is the team’s bowling mentor and president. For Amir at this stage in his career, it’s all about the mental aspect of the game.
“Nowadays cricket has become so fast, you have to be strong mentally and physically. Wasim bhai being with Karachi has been a blessing for me,” he said.
And more than the wickets and results, it’s playing at home which has given Amir the greatest joy. This edition of the PSL is the first to be held entirely in Pakistan and Amir had to wait a long time to play regularly at home and in front of ‘his’ crowd. It is no surprise that he sees this as a major moment in an incredible career.
“This is a dream for every player - to represent your county and play in front of your home crowd," he said. "Not just for me but every team player was missing it. This is a major milestone of my career. We played our entire cricket away. This was a dream, to play at home and at our grounds. We can’t thank our Allah enough.”
