Mohammad Amir considers retiring from Test cricket
What’s the story?
According to reports, 25-year-old Pakistan sensation Mohammad Amir has dropped a bombshell about his future as a Test cricketer as he is considering retiring from the longer format of the game in order to focus on One Day Internationals and T20 Internationals.
"Amir himself is now upset that how this private discussion came out in the open and who leaked the discussions.The Pakistan Cricket Board and team management in West Indies is now investigating as to who is responsible for leaking out this private discussion," a report in Pakistan said.
"He apparently indicated he would like to focus on one-dayers and T20 cricket," the report said.
In case you didn’t know...
A lot of cricketers have quit Test cricket in the past to concentrate on the shorter formats of the game. Pakistan’s very own Shahid Afridi retired from Tests in 2010 and continued to play ODIs and T20s until his retirement
Pakistan are currently touring West Indies as a part of a three-match Test series. They won the first match comfortably by 7 wickets but were humbled by the West Indian bowling line-up in the second Test as they were bowled out for 81 in the 2nd innings of the match.
The Details:
As a 19-year-old, Amir was banned for five years over the infamous spot-fixing scandal which took place during Pakistan’s tour of England in 2010. However, he made a comeback to the game. On 15 January 2016, he made his return to international cricket in a T20I match against New Zealand.
He has featured in a lot of Tests as well since then and has achieved a lot of success with the ball and has become Pakistan’s go-to bowler.
He has played 27 Tests so far and has picked up 92 wickets at an average of 31.57 with four 5 wicket hauls to his name.
What’s next?
Amir will play a big role in Pakistan’s campaign at the ICC Champions Trophy which will be held in England in June. Their campaign will begin against arch-rivals India on June 4 in Birmingham.
Author’s Take
If Amir does decide to retire from Test cricket, it would come as a massive blow to the Pakistan cricket team as the 25-year-old plays a big role in the side. He is young and has a lot of time on his side, so he should probably look to continue playing in Tests for a few more years before calling it quits. It will be interesting to see how the world reacts to this if it does happen.