Pakistan shouldn't drop Mohammad Amir for T20 WC: Mickey Arthur
Former Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur believes leaving out star bowler Mohammad Amir would plummet the team's chances to clinch the T20 World Cup title. Amir had called time on his Test career last year, a decision that drew him backlash. Ever since he made this decision, there have been several speculations regarding his spot in Pakistan's T20I squad. Here is more.
"I wouldn't imagine Pakistan going to the World T20 without Amir. He is a match-winner. If you leave him out of the fray you potentially are sacrificing chances of winning the tournament," Arthur said in a recent interview on Youtube.
Mohammad Amir retired from Test cricket following the 2019 World Cup. However, he announced that he will continue to play limited-overs cricket. He finished his Test career with 119 wickets in 36 matches 30.48. While announcing retirement, the 28-year-old expressed his desire to play the T20 World Cup for Pakistan. Reportedly, Wahab Riaz also quit Test cricket in 2019.
Mohammad Amir made his international comeback from spot-fixing ban in 2016. Following his return, the left-hander scalped 68 wickets in 22 Tests at 31.51. However, he enjoyed more success in the first half of his career, having taken 51 wickets in 14 Tests at 29.09.
The former Pakistan coach backed Amir's decision to hang his boots. "We discussed quite a few times. But maybe I was too hard on him playing him in every Test I could," Mickey said. He added, "I could see he was losing his hunger for Test cricket and his body was not able to handle the pressure of three formats."
Arthur believes the Pakistan cricket team has discovered its core and the management should constantly back it. "Pakistan has some wonderful young players, Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul Haq, Haris Sohail, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf and of course Babar Azam. I think this is the core of players Misbah should depend on to carry Pakistan cricket forward," he said.
