Junaid Khan urges Mohammad Amir to reconsider his Test retirement decision

Mohammad Amir’s retirement from Test cricket has taken the cricketing fraternity by surprise. The Gujjar Khan-born pacer was arguably Pakistan’s standout bowler in the 2019 World Cup by a long distance. Prior to the mega event, there were a lot of talks surrounding his inclusion since he wasn’t in the best of forms with the ball in hand. However, the pacer displayed sheer class and aura.

Amir hung his boots from Test cricket at the age of 27 after making his debut a decade ago as a teenager when he was deemed as the next big thing in Pakistan cricket. Recently, Junaid Khan, the country’s left-arm speedster, said that Amir’s retirement didn’t come at the right time by any means. Junaid felt that Amir still had around five years of cricket left in him in the format.

“Mohammad Amir announced [his] retirement at an early age of 27. I feel he still had five more years to play for Pakistan,” Khan was quoted as saying in The Nation. Khan was picked in the initial squad for the World Cup, but he was unfortunately excluded from the final team.

Pakistan badly needs experienced campaigners, says Junaid Khan

Junaid urged Amir to give his decision a second thought and come back to the team, which is in dire requisite of some experience in its setup. A few days ago, reports also suggested that Wahab Riaz will announce his retirement from the longer format. Throwing light on his bowling, Junaid mentioned that he has found his rhythm and has the ability to churn out prized wickets.

“He should reconsider his decision and help Pakistan, which badly needs experienced campaigners. Same applies to Wahab Riaz as he is bowling in full rhythm and still capable of getting crucial wickets,” the 29-year-old southpaw from North West Frontier Province added.

After Amir bid adieu to Test cricket, the likes of Shoaib Akhtar and Wasim Akram lashed out at him. Akhtar came down hard on him saying that his move was uncalled for since Pakistan cricket has invested a lot in him. Akhtar also sounded concerned for Test cricket in the nation as he believes that a lot of the players are retiring to play T20 cricket.

List of Virat Kohli’s ridiculously expensive assets