Friday, 1 January 2016

Cricket:Mohammad Amir named in Pakistan T20 squad

Mohammad Amir has been named in Pakistan's Twenty20 squad for their series against New Zealand
Pakistan have included Mohammad Amir in their Twenty20 squad for the series against New Zealand following his completion of a suspension for spot-fixing.

The fast bowler has been training with a 26-man Pakistan squad for the past fortnight after making his return to competitive cricket with Chittagong Vikings in the Bangladesh Premier League.

Pakistan play New Zealand in a 20-over series as a warm-up for the World Twenty20 in India, which begins in March.

In an interview with AFP, Amir said he was confident most fans were on his side.

"I am sure fans will love me," he said. "But even if there are taunts and harsh remarks I am ready for that and will do my best to reply to them with love and by taking wickets."

Amir, along with Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, was banned from cricket for five years for his part in the spot-fixing scandal of 2010.


The trio were also handed jail sentences after being found guilty of taking money for no-balls which were deliberately bowled during the Lord's Test against England in August of that year.

"While picking the squads, the team management and skippers of each of the two formats were consulted by the selectors, and all concerned gave their consent in this regard," the head of the selection committee Haroon Rashid said.

"With the ICC World T20 slated for March-April 2016, the T20 team has been selected with a view to provide opportunities to everyone likely to feature in the squad for the global event. The team is a fine blend of experience and youth and the selectors believe that it would acquit itself well on the tour."

His presence at Pakistan's training camp upset former Twenty20 skipper Mohammad Hafeez and current one-day captain Azhar Ali, who boycotted training in protest.

But Imran Khan has supported the player's recall, and urged the cricketing fraternity to get behind Amir as he attempts to resurrect his international career.
                                                                                                                                 Source:Sky.com

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