Mohammad Amir announces retirement from international cricket

Fast bowler Mohammad Amir on Thursday has announced retirement from international cricket. 

According to a source, PCB CEO Wasim Khan has spoken with Amir following reports that the fast bowler had announced his retirement from international cricket.

The source cites that Amir has confirmed that he has no desire or intentions of playing international cricket and he should not be considered for future international matches.

Earlier on the same day, Amir announced that he is taking a break from cricket, saying that he was being “mentally tortured” by the management of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

While talking to a news channel the fast pacer said that he cannot play cricket due to the environment created by the current management. “I am leaving the world of cricket due to ‘torture’ and an environment created by the Pakistan team management that is pushing him away,” he said.

“I wanted to play for Pakistan but mental torture is being given by the management so, I cannot continue with the current setup anymore,” he added.

He also maintained that he will formally announce his retirement by holding a press conference within two days.

The 28-year-old added that he got a wake-up call once he was not named in the 35-man squad for the Pakistan tour to New Zealand.

“I feel that I am leaving cricket at this time because I am being mentally tortured,” said the pacer.

He further added that he “cannot survive this much torture” because he has already seen it from 2010 to 2015 when he was placed under a ban over a spot-fixing scandal.

In a video shared by sports journalist Shoaib Jatt, Amir can be seen sharing his reasons for leaving cricket. “I am not going away from cricket but I am being pushed away from it,” the left-arm pacer said, adding that an “environment” has been created for him to get “sidelined”.

“The environment that has been created, I feel that I cannot play cricket under this management,” said Amir.