'I felt I wasn't getting the respect I deserved' - Mohammad Amir on his decision to retire

Mohammad Amir’s battle with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) doesn’t seem to end yet. The former Pakistan bowler announced his untimely retirement at the age of only 29. However, in the subsequent months, he revealed on social media that he will return to the team if the current team management is changed. 

Everything started with Amir deciding to hang up his boots from Test cricket. The left-arm seamer revealed at the time that he wanted to focus more on white-ball cricket, which is why he decided to call it quits from the longest format. However, according to what Amir has been claiming since then, the seamer got criticized heavily for retiring from one format. 

It was almost taken in a way that Amir has disowned his country. In an interesting turn of events, he was dropped from the T20I and ODI squads. The left-arm pacer announced his retirement from all formats, citing that the current management was critical of his Test retirement, and hence decided to drop him. 

There was nothing selfish about my decision to retire, says Mohammad Amir

While talking to Wisden, the Pakistan seamer has revealed that he won’t be returning to international cricket or make himself available for selection. He further said that if things get better then, fans might see him once again playing for Pakistan in the future. 

“There was nothing selfish about my decision to retire. At the moment there is no chance of me making a comeback, but if things get better then, who knows, maybe you will see me playing for Pakistan once again in the future,” he said

The fast-bowler further noted that he was not getting the respect that he deserved which made him retire eventually. He pointed a finger at the people in power in Pakistan cricket, saying that they have their calls to make while he has a career to look forward to. Mohammad Amir has signed a deal with Kent and will play in the T20 blast in England later this summer. 

He was also signed for London Spirit and will take part in the inaugural season of The Hundred. “What matters most to me is respect and I felt that I wasn’t getting the respect I deserved and that’s why I took the decision to retire. The people in charge of Pakistan cricket have their job to do, they have their responsibilities and have their decisions to make, and I have my career to continue and look forward to,” Amir said. 

Free Hit with Sandeep Warrier