‘Thank You Very Much To International Cricket’: Mohammad Amir

Earlier this year, Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir announced his international retirement for the second time, after making a brief return earlier in 2024. Since Pakistan’s infamous group-stage exit from the T20 World Cup, the left-arm pacer has been rather frozen out of the squad, without any explanation.

In an interview with Geo News, Amir revealed that he had to leave a ‘county contract’ to join the Pakistani preparations for the World Cup. 

“When I came to play in the World Cup, I left my county contract. Whatever I played in the World Cup, I ended up spending more money myself. My trainer travelled with me, and I bore all those expenses personally. Anyway, that’s a separate matter,” Amir said. 

The left-arm pacer also added that he’s done with international cricket, once and for all. 

“After the T20 World Cup ended, no one even talked to me, no one told me about any plans. A wise man needs no further explanation. If I’m not in the plan, then I have to think about myself. Now I’ve made up my mind — thank you very much to international cricket,” Amir told Geo News in an interview.

Babar Azam’s form, too, has been scratchy since the T20 World Cup, with failures in the 2025 Champions Trophy, which then resulted in the former Pakistan skipper getting dropped from the T20 setup. Amir, however, backed the batter, stating that he is still Pakistan’s ‘best cricketer’. 

“Babar Azam is Pakistan’s best cricketer, no doubt about that. But right now, he’s going through a bad patch — and it’s been a bit too long. Every player faces a rough phase, but once Babar gets out of it, he’ll score big runs. I’ve noticed that Babar is arriving a little late to the ball, and because of that, he’s struggling with shot selection,” added Amir.