Umar Akmal saddened to see ‘match-winner’ Mohammad Amir leave the Test arena

Back in 2009, Mohammad Amir was deemed to be the next big thing in Pakistan cricket. The left-arm speedster bowled with venom and captured the imaginations of the fans across the world. He made his T20I, Test and ODI debut in the same year and was deemed to possess all the ingredients to flourish at the highest level. However, his sojourn has been a topsy-turvy one.

In 2010, he was involved in a spot-fixing scandal at the Lord’s along with teammates Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif. In 2011, he was slapped with a five-year suspension. Amir didn’t give up and made his comeback in the 2016 Asia Cup in Bangladesh. Thereafter, he started blowing hot and cold and looked terribly out of form. His position in the national team was also questioned.

Back in April when the Pakistan squad for the 2019 World Cup was picked, Amir couldn’t make the cut initially. But luck favoured him and he was eventually drafted in. The move turned out to be an effective one as he finished as the nation’s leading wicket-taker in the mega event with 17 wickets. But a few days after the end of the tournament, Amir decided to spring a big surprise.

No more Mohammad Amir in the longer format

The 27-year-old announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect. The decision shocked one and all, including the likes of Shoaib Akhtar and Wasim Akram, who felt that the pacer shouldn’t have retired. Akhtar slammed him saying that his goodbye to Test cricket was uncalled for as Pakistan cricket has invested a lot in the Gujjar Khan-born speedster.

Amir was also showered with wishes after he bid adieu to the Test arena. Recently, Umar Akmal, the discarded Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman, wished Amir for the rest of his career. Akmal hailed him as a ‘match-winner’ and was saddened to see the bowler leave Test cricket.

He took to Twitter and wrote, “Started our careers almost together, played so much together. Best of Luck @iamamirofficial for your white ball career and it’s sad to see a match-winner like you leave Test arena. You have been a true match-winner. Allah aage aur kamyaabiyan den.”

Here is Akmal’s tweet