ISLAMABAD, : Pakistani pacer Mohammad Amir believes the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has given an opportunity to the young players to showcase their talent and taking Pakistan cricket forward.
“There are so many cricketers playing for Pakistan who have come via the PSL route. The PSL has taken Pakistan cricket forward and given an opportunity to young players in the country to showcase their talent. By performing in leagues such as the PSL, it makes things easier for players to perform in international cricket.
“Our players get the chance to share a dressing room with some of the biggest names in cricket which is huge for their development. It’s fantastic to see the PSL now being ranked amongst the best Twenty20 leagues in the world. The tournament gives players a chance to show what they can do in a major tournament and provides a platform to be seen around the world. Look at the likes of Haider Ali who have performed well in the PSL and are now being signed-up by Twenty20 teams around the world,” Pakpassion.net quoted him as saying.
Amir said cricketers need to play more first-class cricket before they were picked for the country. “Picking players who have played one or two first-class matches and then expecting them to do well is a huge risk. Get them to play 25-30 first-class matches and see what they are made of before picking them for Pakistan. We hype cricketers up after a couple of PSL matches or one first-class match and that is totally wrong. These boys should be playing a few seasons of First-class cricket like they do in other countries before they are picked for national duty,” he said.
Speaking about playing for London Spirit in the inaugural edition of The Hundred tournament this year, Amir said he was looking forward to this tournament. “It’s going to be interesting to see how players adapt to this format, what the tactics are and how teams approach the competition. I love playing in England and I’m excited and no doubt everyone else who is going to be involved in the tournament will be equally excited. There’s always a buzz when a new format or new tournament is launched and I’m sure the tournament will be a big success. Playing white-ball cricket in England is always special and I’m sure the fans are really going to enjoy watching it especially if they are allowed into the grounds later this year.”
To a question, he said retiring from playing for your beloved country isn’t an easy step to take. “I thought a lot about this decision, I spoke to those close to me and only then did I reach this decision. I hope that our players, especially the youngsters in future don’t have to face what I had to face as I don’t want our younger players to get disheartened and have to sacrifice their careers like I did.
“What matters most to me is respect and I felt that I wasn’t getting the respect I deserved and that’s why I took the decision to retire,” he said.
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