Mohammad Amir is like a kid to us: Wahab Riaz

Pakistan pacer Mohammed Amir has made a successful comeback to cricket after serving a five-year ban. Though it took some time and efforts, Amir has been accepted by the Pakistan team and is expected to play a key role when they take on England at their home. He will be touring England for the first time after being arrested and sentenced in the country and would be really nervous expecting a hostile reception from the crowd. Ahead of the tour his pace bowling partner in the team, Wahab Riaz has said that the entire Pakistan team will be backing him to succeed in his comeback.

Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, Wahab said that he is like a kid for them being the youngest member of the squad and promised that Pakistan team would react to the provocation from England crowd in a sporting manner.

He said, “So, he is not the one who is being left alone. He is a part of our family. He is the youngest part of our family. So, he is like a kid to us. He’s like a brother to us, a son to most of our senior players.”

The left-arm fast bowler is confident that Amir would come good in the series against England with all their support. “We are always here for him. We are going to support him and we will push him up because we know what kind of capability he has in his bowling and how he can perform. With all our support, he will perform very well and Pakistan will do really good in this tour.”

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When queried about the adaptability of the team in English conditions, Wahab affirmed, “You can see the laugh on my face. It’s going to be the same, it’s going to be nothing different. If you enjoy your cricket, you are able to perform. If you take the stress, you are not able to perform.”

“Obviously, you cannot say anything to the crowd. People come there to watch the cricket. They have their own right to celebrate or wish you good luck or wish you bad luck. So, that’s not in our hands. We have to enjoy our cricket, we have to laugh all the time. If anyone says anything, a smile can do everything for them,” the 30-year old added.

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Wahab also praised the skipper Misbah-ul-Haq, saying that he is leading them from the front. “Everybody is set to go. Because under the captaincy of Misbah, we are very much united and looking for wins all the time. He is leading us from the front as a captain. This is going to be an important series for us and we are looking forward to winning.”

The series will commence from 14th July with the first Test at Lord’s. Pakistan will play two warm-up matches ahead of the series from July 3-5 against Somerset and from July 8-10 against Sussex.