Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir has taken a jibe at the hierarchy for dropping him from the T20 squad ahead of a three-match three series against Bangladesh. The left-armer cited the reason for his omission as his decision to retire from Tests by replying to a tweet, but deleted it without further ado.
Amir, who has been Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker in the shortest format since the start of 2018, was surprisingly dropped from the first-team ahead of a crucial series. He had earlier retired from first-class cricket to focus on white ball mechanics.
The selectors also axed Wahab Riaz, instead opting for young blood in the form of Muhammad Musa, Ahsan Ali and Amad Butt, alongside Melbourne Stars sensation Haris Rauf.
Explaining the thought process behind the selection, Misbah Ul Haq said:
“We tried to be consistent with young players. Having senior bowlers like Amir and Wahab sit out is tough. The whole idea of dropping them is to include younger bowlers in the playing XI.”
A journalist tweeted, asking why Amir, who recently claimed six wickets in a game during the BPL, wasn’t selected. The fast bowler replied saying, “Reason Test Cricket,” with a series of laughing emoticons brimming with sarcasm. He quickly deleted it, and then chose to reply with a safer stance.
Amir’s second tweet read: “No worries chill everyone, I will come back stronger InshaAllah.”
While the young battery was installed into the squad, the likes of Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik received the nod at the top. Reflecting on the same, Misbah declared:
“He[Hafeez] is experienced enough and has performed well in past. At the time when him and Malik were ruled out, we never said that they will never be considered again. Obviously, we were trying out our pool, but we found they were missed. So even if Hafeez hasn’t played much cricket lately, he is experienced and mature enough to contribute for Pakistan.”
The series is set to begin on January 24, at the Gaddafi Stadium.
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