Shoaib Akhtar slams Mohammad Amir for hanging his boots from Test cricket

Mohammad Amir, the Pakistan fast bowler, had an excellent run in the World Cup and was undoubtedly his team’s standout performer. But soon after the mega event in England and Wales, the 27-year-old made a startling announcement of retirement from Test cricket. The speedster made his debut way back in 2009 as a teenager and was deemed as the next big thing in Pakistan cricket.

He had pace and the skills to succeed at the highest level. But the 2010 spot-fixing scandal at the Lord’s turned out to be a massive detriment in his international career. In 2011, he was handed a five-year suspension. The Gujjar Khan-born pacer made his comeback in the 2016 Asia Cup in Bangladesh.

In the meantime, Shoaib Akhtar, the former Pakistan fast bowler, is furious with Amir bidding adieu to the longer format. The retired seamer is baffled with the developments in Pakistan cricket, saying that the players are more inclined towards playing T20 cricket than Test cricket. He expressed his opinion on his official YouTube channel.

Akhtar vents out his frustration

“What is happening with Pakistan cricket, what are they doing? I am not able to understand that how a 27-year-old Mohammad Amir can take retirement when Pakistan have invested in him and is continuously trying that Amir play cricket for Pakistan when he had gained some form. They all want to be T20 bowler, they all want to play only T20,” Akhtar was quoted as saying.

Akhtar gave his own example that at the age of 27, he was at his peak and if given a chance to go back he may play 50 Tests for Pakistan. The Rawalpindi Express believed that Amir would’ve helped the national team change its fortunes in Test cricket. He also said that had he been in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), he wouldn’t have allowed players to play T20 cricket.

As far as Amir is concerned, the southpaw ended up playing 36 Tests in which he picked up 119 wickets. In the World Cup, he finished with 17 wickets from eight matches with a stupendous five-wicket-haul against Australia in Taunton on a difficult pitch to bowl on. He last played Test cricket back in January versus South Africa at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.

Watch the video