Mohammad Amir allowed to go back to Pakistan, confirms Essex

English county Essex have confirmed that their overseas signing fast bowler Mohammad Amir will return to Pakistan to undergo fitness and medical tests at their request but will be available for the Essex’s next Championship match against Somerset beginning on August 26.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is recalling their players for national duty for the training camp to prepare for their upcoming series against the World XI and Sri Lanka in September had raised concerns about players not only playing in the Carribean Premier League but also for counties like Essex that feared that Amir would be unavailable for the rest of the season.

PCB had originally decided to revoke the no-objection certificates given to 13 of its players playing in England and the CPL, ordering them to fly back by 22 August. The early recall – because of the rescheduling of an upcoming World XI series – meant Amir along with Yorkshire’s Sarfraz Ahmed and Fakhar Zaman, who was due to play for Somerset, had their county spells cut short.

As reported by cricbuzz, the county had made representations to the PCB requesting special dispensation for Amir to remain with them. It is understood those were successful as Amir has secured his availability for the Somerset match although Essex are still unaware about when Amir will have to return to Pakistan.

The three-match T20I series against the World XI is set to be played before September 17 to avoid a clash with local elections so, depending on the timing of those matches, Amir could also be involved in Essex’s game against Lancashire beginning on September 5.

It is a major bonus for the County to have Amir available for the rest of the season, considering that he took ten wickets against Yorkshire in his last Championship match. Essex are looking to win their first title since 1992 and currently sit 41 points clear at the top of the table with just five matches to go. Overall Amir has had an impressive season with Essex this season with 12 wickets in two county championship matches and 13 wickets in 12 NatWest T20 Blast games.