Mohammad Amir announces retirement from Test cricket

The left-arm pacer, Mohammad Amir has announced retirement for test matches. Speculation has been the rifle for a while, that Amir was contemplating test retirement and this doesn’t really come as a surprise for many. The left-arm pacer finishes with 119 wickets in 36 matches.

“It has been an honour to represent Pakistan in the pinnacle and traditional format of the game. I, however, have decided to move away from the longer version so I can concentrate on white ball cricket,” Amir said in a statement.

“Playing for Pakistan remains my ultimate desire and objective, and I will try my best to be in the best physical shape to contribute in the team’s upcoming challenges, including next year’s ICC T20 World Cup.”

Amir, who broke on the scene as a teenager in 2009, announced himself with some terrific test spells in Sri Lanka, Australia and finally in that fateful tour to England. However, he was banned for spot-fixing for 5 years.

Since, his return to cricket while he has had some consistent spells in white-ball cricket, his test match performances have been patchy at best. He was also initially dropped from the World Cup squad but was finally recalled after a poor performance from his replacement in the England series. He did impress with the ball in the World Cup, was among the leading wicket-takers.

Amir did reaffirm his commitment to continue playing white-ball cricket for Pakistan. He is currently playing in the T20 Blast.