Shahid Afridi, Inzamam-ul-Haq echo each other on Mohammad Amir retirement controversy

Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir shocked the cricketing community by retiring from all forms of international cricket on Thursday, December 17. The Mohammad Amir retirement news came as a surprise to everyone as the southpaw had been in brilliant form in the recently concluded LPL 2020. Stating the reason for his sudden retirement, Amir said that he cannot play cricket under the current Pakistan management. The southpaw also said that he can't handle the mental torture that the Pakistan Cricket Board is putting him through. 

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Shahid Afridi and Inzamam ul Haq open up on Mohammad Amir's retirement news

Now, former Pakistan captains Shahid Afridi and Inzamam ul Haq have opened up the Mohammad Amir retirement news. While speaking to Pakistan based news channel Geo News, Afridi said that the fault lies with both Amir and the PCB. Afridi was perplexed as to why Amir and the PCB management were not talking to each another but were talking about each other in the media. He advised them to sit together and have a talk because it is an easy case.

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According to Afridi, Amir's decision to hang his boots from international cricket was a bit harsh. The Pakistan veteran reckoned that T20 and One Day International cricket is still left in Amir. Afridi further told Amir that nothing feels quite like the pride you feel while playing for Pakistan. The former cricketer asked Amir to reconsider his decision and advised him to come back and play for the country.

Afridi also commented on PCB's response to Amir's retirement news saying that it seems as if the board had made its mind in future to sideline the pacer. Afridi also said that the entire matter was not handled well by the PCB and added that the Ehsan Mani led board should have discussed its plan with Amir. Speaking on Amir's come back to international cricket, the 45-year old said that it depends on some people's character in the PCB and how big of a heart they have to let bygones be bygones and let Amir play for the team again. 

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Inzamam also echoed Afridi's views on the Mohammad Amir retirement news. While speaking on his YouTube channel, Inzamam said that  Amir got too emotional and people close to him should advise him that people often regret taking hasty decisions during an emotional phase. Inzamam further said that if Amir was not comfortable with the team management or Waqar Younis, he could have talked to Misbah, who is the head of team management at the moment.

Inzamam opined that Amir could have also approached PCB if he didn't get a response from Misbah. According to Inzamam, Amir should have a belief in his abilities to make a comeback and serve Pakistan for more years.

Mohammad Amir stats

The Mohammad Amir stats in his short international career are quite impressive. Amir has represented Pakistan in 36 Tests where he picked up 119 scalps in his 10-year Test career from 2009-2019. The left-arm pacer has also represented the Men In Green in 61 One Day Internationals and 48 T20Is where he has picked up 81 and 59 wickets respectively. 

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SOURCE: AP