Mohammad Amir was solely dropped because of his form and I have no idea why he made up everything: Mishbah-ul-Haq

The news of Mohammad Amir retiring from international cricket had shocked everyone last month. The 28-year-old fast bowler had announced his retirement citing issues with the management. He had revealed that there were issues, which he didn’t believe could be sorted. Getting dropped from the national side didn’t go well with him. 

Various cricket experts poured in their opinions on the same matter and Pakistan’s coach is the latest addition to the list. Almost a month after that news, Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq has finally given his opinion on it. In an interaction, the former Pakistan captain completely denied having done anything to keep Amir out of the side. 

“There was talk about Waqar Younis related to Amir but there is no truth in it at all. There were six [association] coaches as selectors, me as chief selector and then there was a captain. So this is absolutely not possible, [the idea] that one person out of all could have influenced the decision,” Misbah said, as quoted by  ESPNCricinfo. 

The head coach further went on to blame him and accuse him of making up things. Amir had brushed upon the fact that the management was dissatisfied with him because he had announced his Test retirement. According to Amir, he had faced harsh criticism that he left red-ball cricket so that he could play T20 leagues around the world and earn money. However, Mishab clarified that he was dropped based on his poor form. 

I have no idea why Mohammad Amir made up everything: Misbah-ul-Haq

“Nobody was supporting his selection on the basis of performance. I have no idea why he made up everything and tried to give this whole scenario a context that is out of proportion. For him, it was a simple method: go back and prove his form and get back in the team and everything else is irrelevant,” Misbah added.

Misbah also said that he had welcomed Amir when he was returning to the Test side after the ban. He also revealed that the side would want him back only if he were to go back to domestic cricket and perform well. He then referred to the England tour last year, where there was a lot of confusion about Amir’s inclusion. 

“I remember during the England tour [in 2020] I gave my everything to convince him for the tour but he didn’t go on the personal ground and initially decided not to go. But then later after coming out of his personal issues, he messaged me about his availability and even then, me and Waqar bhai recalled him, giving him ample respect as a senior pro. But then he got injured and he also had an evident dip in his form,” Misbah concluded.