‘He can play International Cricket if…’ – PCB chairman Najam Sethi’s bold statement on Pakistan speedster

The former Pakistan speedster, Mohammad Amir, has once more received support from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi, who recently gave the pacer the go-ahead and permitted him to train at the National High-Performance Centre. Amir can rejoin the national squad now that his penalty time has expired, according to the PCB chief.

In 2020, the 30-year-old pacer announced the end of his international career in protest of the allegedly “shabby” treatment he had been given by the management at the time. Though Ramiz Raja, the former head of the PCB, was shown the door by the new administration, Amir has gotten a lot of backing from Sethi.

A player should be allowed to resume international cricket once he has completed his years of penalty: Najam Sethi

“Mohammad Amir can play international cricket for Pakistan if he takes his retirement back. I always took a strong stance against match-fixing. I believe no convicted player should be spared, but at the same time, a player should be allowed to resume international cricket once he has completed his years of penalty,” Sethi said in a recent interaction with the media.

“Mohammad Amir is a good player, no doubt. If his fitness is good and if he wants to play and does well at the domestic circuit, then he should be considered for national selection for sure,” former Pakistan skipper also backed the left-arm pacer.

Due to his involvement in the spot-fixing incident in England in 2010, Amir received a five-year suspension. Amir had stated to the media that he has not yet chosen when to come out of retirement, but according to sources close to him, the pacer only wants to play for Pakistan in white-ball forms and will not change his mind about quitting Test cricket.

In 2009, against England, the left-arm pacer made his international debut. After that, he played for Pakistan in 36 Tests, 61 ODIs, and 50 T20Is. He is currently participating in the Bangladesh Premier League with the Sylhet Strikers.