Veteran Pakistan players Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim have announced their retirement from international cricket. Interestingly, it was their second and possibly final international retirement; however, they are likely to participate in the franchise leagues.
Amir made his international debut in a T20I fixture in June 2009 and forayed into the other two formats in the following month. The left-arm pacer was sensational with his wicket-taking abilities and became the youngest player at an age of 18 to reach the milestone of 50 scalps in the longest format.
Pakistan’s 2010 tour to England began on a grand note for Amir, however, it ended in a disastrous manner for him. After going under the scanner for overstepping by a large margin, he was proved to be guilty of spot-fixing and faced a five-year ban by five years.
Amir returned in 2016 and played a key role in Pakistan’s 2017 Champions Trophy title victory. He finished with figures of 3/16 in the final against India, as the Men in Green won the game easily. He decided to retire in 2021, but made a U-turn to make himself available for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
He returned as the team’s top wicket-taker with seven scalps, but the side failed to reach the Super 8 stage. In 159 international games, Mohammad Amir scalped 271 wickets across all formats for Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the all-rounder Imad Wasim made his white-ball debut for Pakistan in 2015. Over the years, Wasim proved to be a key player in both departments, giving a final flourish and securing breakthroughs for the side. After being overlooked for 2023 World Cup, he announced his retirement.
However, Wasim made himself available for the 2024 T20 World Cup. He took three wickets in as many appearances and has decided to bid farewell to the international circuit. The southpaw scored 1540 runs and took 117 wickets across white-ball formats.
Pakistan pacer Mohammad Irfan also announced his retirement
Amid Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim’s retirement, one name went unnoticed. The 7-foot-1 pacer, Mohammad Irfan bid farewell to international cricket as well.
Irfan made his ODI debut in September 2010 and represented the nation in two other formats in the subsequent years. The speedster suffered from consistent injuries throughout his career, and failed to arrest the slide. His last international appearance came in 2019 and since then he has been playing domestic and franchise cricket.
Irfan made 86 international appearances and picked up 109 wickets across all formats.
FAQs
What are the best figures of Mohammad Irfan in ODIs?
4/30 against Zimbabwe, 2015
What was Mohammad Amir’s figures in famous 2016 Asia Cup game against India?
3/18
