The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reacted to Pakistani paceman Mohammad Amir’s decision to retire from international cricket, saying it was the bowler’s personal decision.
As per the details, Cricket Pakistan quoted a PCB representative as saying that Amir had been listening to news channels broadcasting news about how he would not be selected to play.
“Mohammad Amir has not contacted the PCB in this regard. The fast-bowler is not a contracted player and therefore is not bound to discuss this decision with the cricket board. He is completely free to make his own decisions,” the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, following Amir’s announcement, reactions started pouring in from cricketing greats among others, including former skipper and selector Inzamamul Haq as well as Pakistan’s Ramiz Raja and Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle.
Raja described Amir’s departure as an untimely exit of a potential superstar while highlighting this entire episode as a cautionary tale for upcoming youngsters.
“Mohammad Amir retires. Sad untimely exit of a potential superstar! And a lesson for aspiring youth: Respect your talent and understand your responsibilities. Don’t mistake wealth for respect. Respect is earned by having a strong character and not by worldly glitzy sh*t!” Raja tweeted.
Bhogle believed that the fast-bowlers career would be remembered for what could have been in the aftermath of the shocking decision.
“I hope he is content. In cricketing terms he will be remembered for what might have been,” Bhogle tweeted.
Former skipper Shahid Afridi said that both PCB and Amir were at fault.
Speaking to Geo, the 45-year-old said that PCB and Amir could have handled the situation better. “Both the management and Amir are responsible. If the elders had not started this, the younger ones would not get a chance to speak,” he said.
“Why are they communicating through media? They should sit in a room and talk it out,” he added.
Afridi suggested that Amir should have been more patient while taking such a big decision. “Amir’s decision was also a bit harsh. There are challenges in life that every player faces. Strong and talented cricketers accept those challenges and make comeback with good performances,” he said.
The former player added that Pakistan cricket needs Amir and that the player still has a lot to offer to the national team. “Pakistan cricket needs Amir. He still has T20 and ODI cricket left in him,” he said. “The pleasure in playing for Pakistan and representing your country is nowhere close to playing league cricket.”
Afridi said that PCB’s prompt reaction to Amir’s retirement decision showed that they did not have the player in its future plan. “PCB should have discussed its plans with Amir, their immediate reaction showed that their future plan was to keep the player on the sidelines,” he said.
Senior ruling party member and a close aide of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Senator Faisal Javed Khan, advised the cricket authorities to address the concerns of Amir, saying Pakistan “should not waste a talented player” like Amir.
He suggested that both parties sit together to sort their differences, asking the cricketer to reconsider his decision to quit Test cricket.
“No emotional decision please,” the senator added.
Previously, the pacer had openly expressed his disappointment on social media after New Zealand tour snub besides taking digs at the head and bowling coaches in the recent past.
“Right now I am leaving cricket. I am being mentally tortured. I don’t think, I will be able to handle this kind of torture because I have been tortured a lot from 2010 to 2015,” Amir said on Thursday.
“My personal decision to leave Test cricket was taken in a wrong way. My retirement was attached to my desire of playing T20 leagues. I was wishing to invest everything in white-ball cricket for Pakistan. But every now and then someone or the other person came out with a statement. Our bowling coach came out and said, I ditched them, somebody says workload wasn’t properly handled,” he had added.
mir made his debut for Pakistan in a T20I match against England in June 2009 and was part of the team which won the 2009 T20 World Cup.
However, his career went downhill after he was found guilty of spot-fixing and was banned for five years. He made his international comeback in 2015 and went on to play an instrumental role in Pakistan’s Champions Trophy triumph in 2017.
