Tag: Mohammad Amir

Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir threw his weight behind under-fire Babar Azam after Pakistan’s long-awaited Test victory at home.

A fierce spin attack on Friday, powered Pakistan to their first victory at home in Test cricket since their win against South Africa back in February 2021 when they thumped England by 152 runs in the second Test of the three-match series.

Ahead of the aforementioned fixture, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made four surprising changes, including dropping their star batter Babar Azam, who has not crossed the fifty-run barrier in the format since December 2022.

Consistent domestic performer Kamran Ghulam, who came in as Babar’s replacement, smashed a well-crafted century on debut, pivotal in guiding Pakistan to a formidable total in the first innings.

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Ghulam’s century made things worse for Babar as social media trolls targetted the latter, claiming that the national team eventually won at home after he was dropped.

This did not sit well with experienced pacer Mohammad Amir, who despite being a a vocal critic of Babar Azam in the past, supported the star batter amid social media trolling.

“Please stop with these petty talks that Babar wasn’t in the team, that is why we won. We won because of better strategy and took advantage of playing on home ground,” wrote Amir on X, formerly Twitter.

He then went on to urge fans to discuss a player’s performance instead of getting “personal”.

“Please don’t get personal with your players. Criticize their performance, but avoid personal remarks,” he added.

READ: Uncapped spinner replaces Shakib in Bangladesh Test squad

Left-arm Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir has achieved a significant milestone in T20 cricket as he became the third bowler from the country to take 350 wickets in the format.

The left-arm pacer, representing Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2024, achieved the feat in his side’s match against Guyana Amazon Warriors.

Amir took the wickets of Raymon Reifer and Romario Shepherd to join Wahab Riaz and Sohail Tanvir in the elite list of Pakistani bowlers to take 350 wickets in T20 cricket.

Most wickets by Pakistan bowlers in T20 cricket

• Wahab Riaz: 413 wickets in 348 matches
• Sohail Tanvir: 389 wickets in 388 matches
• Mohammad Amir: 350 wickets in 305 matches
• Shahid Afridi 347 wickets in 329 matches
• Imad Wasim: 346 wickets in 379 matches
• Shadab Khan 326 wickets in 298 matches

It’s worth noting that recently Amir also broke India’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s all-time record of bowling the most maidens by a pacer in T20s.

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During the CPL clash against Barbados Royals, Mohammad Amir bowled a maiden first over while defending 177 runs.

Amir outclassed hard-hitting batter Rakheem Cornwall with his exceptional skills and did not allow the batter to score a single run off his over.

The maiden pushed Mohammad Amir’s tally in the format to 25, leaving behind all top pacers in the world, including India’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar (24) and Jasprit Bumrah (22), compatriots Wahab Riaz (21) and Mohammad Irfan (20) and New Zealand’s Trent Boult (17).

In the overall list, Amir is ranked third, only behind Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan (26) and West Indies’ Sunil Narine (30).

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Left-arm Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir on Thursday, broke India’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s all-time record of bowling the most maiden by a pacer in T20s.

The left-arm pacer, representing Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2024, achieved the feat in his side’s Thursday fixture against Barbados Royals.

Bowling the first over as the Falcons set to defend 177, Mohammad Amir outclassed hard-hitting batter Rakheem Cornwall with his exceptional skills and did not allow the batter to score a single run off his over.

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Cornwall only managed to steal a leg-bye off Amir’s last delivery.

The maiden pushed Mohammad Amir’s tally in the format to 25, leaving behind all top pacers in the world, including India’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar (24) and Jasprit Bumrah (22), compatriots Wahab Riaz (21) and Mohammad Irfan (20) and New Zealand’s Trent Boult (17).

In the overall list, Amir is ranked third, only behind Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan (26) and West Indies’ Sunil Narine (30).

Most maidens in career in T20s

Sunil Narine: 30
Shakib Al Hasan: 26
Mohammad Amir: 25
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 24
Jasprit Bumrah: 21
Samuel Badree: 21
Wahab Riaz: 21
Mohammad Irfan: 20

Earlier this year, Pakistan’s ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi broke Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s long-standing record of most first-over wickets in T20s.

Afridi achieved the milestone in the first T20I of the five-match series between Pakistan and New Zealand when he cleaned up Tim Robinson with a perfectly crafted in-swinger.

The dismissal pushed Afridi’s tally of first-over wickets to 47, now 49, leaving behind the top bowlers in the world. He is now closely followed by India’s Kumar and England’s David Willey, 46 each and compatriot Mohammad Amir, who has 40 wickets.

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ANTIGUA: Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir had a forgetful outing at the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2024 as he failed to defend 16 runs off the final over.

Amir, representing Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in the ongoing tournament, needed to defend 16 runs against Guyana Amazon Warriors with Dwaine Pretorius on strike.

The left-arm pacer started well as he barred Pretorius from scoring with a delivery, angled across and out of the batter’s arc.

He then looked to cramp the batter in his legs with a yorker but bowled a low full toss instead and paid the price as Pretorius hit it for a boundary behind square.

Pretorius glimmered a ray of hope for the Warriors with another boundary towards the same region.

After being hit for consecutive boundaries, Amir seemed to have recovered as he bowled a dot ball but faltered on the penultimate delivery as he pitched it a bit short while attempting to bowl a wide yorker and was hit for the third four in the over.

Warriors then needed four runs off the last ball and Mohammad Amir went again for the wide yorker but bowled a fraction short into the slot. Pretorius lined it up, went through the line and smashed it over long off to snatch a thrilling victory for his side.

 

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Mohammad Amir was phenomenal in his opening spell, conceding just three runs off two overs and also bowled a maiden but his death bowling was far from his best.

Speaking at the post-match ceremony, Antigua and Barbuda Falcons’ captain Chris Green termed the loss “unfortunate” but extended his support to Mohammad Amir despite his death bowling debacle.

“It is unfortunate. These two games going down to the last ball. We have none from two. We can learn so many things from these games. I am proud of how we fought,” said Green.

“Amir is one of the best bowlers in the world. When you bowl the hard overs, you have to show up as a human at times. We move forward now. Look you can find so many moments in cricket.

“We were ahead of the game. 10-15 runs short. Was hard to stop set batters. We missed our spots in the last stages of the game. The shot over long-off and cover was amazing. Not time to panic. We can be disappointed. We fought till the end. Different individuals have stood up. Still, 8 games to go in the tournament.”

In the CPL 2024 opener, Antigua and Barbuda Falcons succumbed to a one-wicket defeat against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.

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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has granted No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to four players including pace bowler Mohammad Amir for the upcoming Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2024.

The sources revealed that along with Amir, explosive wicketkeeper Azam Khan and season opener Fakhar Zaman and all-rounder have also been issued NOCs.

The 12th edition of the CPL will run from August 29 to October 6 and will feature six teams competing for the silverware.

Azam Khan will return to represent Guyana Amazon Warriors, while Amir, Imad and Fakhar Zaman will be in action for the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons.

Notably, Saim Ayub, who played a key role in Guyana Amazon Warriors’s CPL title victory last season, was denied an NOC owing to his commitments to the Pakistan Test team.

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The young opening batter is part of the Pakistan squad for the ongoing two-match Test series against Bangladesh.

It’s worth noting that last month PCB decided against issuing the NOCs to Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi to participate in the Global T20 (GT20) Canada 2024.

According to the cricketing body, the three all-format players were denied NOCs, in light of Pakistan’s busy and packed cricket calendar in the period from August 2024 to March 2025 which includes ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Prior to that, the PCB had also declined permission to Naseem Shah for The Hundred on the same grounds.

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BRAMPTON: Mohammad Amir decimated Montreal Tigers’ batting lineup before Usman Khawaja and Reeza Hendricks steered Vancouver Knights to victory in the 17th match of the GT20 Canada 2024.

After winning the toss, Vancouver Knights invited Montreal Tigers to bat and Dwaine Pretorius provided the first breakthrough as he dismissed Chris Lynn.

Amiir picked his first wicket in the next over when he clean-bowled a struggling Dilpreet Bajwa.

Pretorius got Gerhard Erasmus in the next over, followed by Amir casting another batter as he disturbed the stumps of Parveen Kumar to reduce the Tigers to 16-4 in 4.3 overs.

Sherfane Rutherford then played an 18-ball cameo of 22 runs, while Azmatullah Omarzai scored 30 runs from 26 balls to show some resistance against the Knights’ bowling attack.

However, no other batter could pose any threat and the whole batting lineup bundled for a meagre 109 runs in 19.2 overs.

Mohammad Amir led the attack with the figures of 3-18, while Dwaine Pretorius, Harsh Thaker, and Sandeep Lamichhane picked two wickets each.

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In response, Vancouver Knights lost Harsh Thaker in the first over but Usman Khawaja and Reeza Hendricks helped them recover with a partnership of 67 runs.

Khawaja played a cautious knock of 31 runs from 44 balls, while Hendricks scored 39 off 30 with the help of four boundaries and two sixes.

However, both batters fell in quick succession to leave the team at 80-3 in 13.1 overs.

Richie Berrington then scored a steady 17 before Corbin Bosch dismissed him with two runs required to win. Pretorius hit the winning runs to seal a five-wicket victory with eight balls to spare.

Azmatullah Omarzai and Gerhard Erasmus picked two wickets each for the Montreal Tigers.

Earlier in another GT20 Canada match, Brampton Wolves defeated Surrey Jaguars by six wickets. Thomas Draca and Beau Webster shared six wickets to book Jaguars for 124 runs.

George Munsey then struck a quick 46-run knock to lead his side to a dominant victory in 15.1 overs.

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Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir turned the clock back during The Hundred 2024, prompting former England captain Nasser Hussain to draw a comparison with the left-armer’s spell in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final.

Amir, representing the Oval Invincibles in the inaugural match of The Hundred 2024 against Birmingham Phoenix, demonstrated exceptional bowling prowess by taking two wickets in just 15 balls and delivering nine dot balls.

During the commentary, Nasser Hussain praised the Pakistani bowler highly, reminiscing about Amir’s memorable spell against India in the final of the Champions Trophy 2017, played at the same venue.

“He likes bowling here [The Oval]. 2017 Champions Trophy final. Shikhar Dawan, India gone. Rohit Sharma, India gone. Virat Kohli gone. 3 for 16 he got in that Champions Trophy final, bowling this end,” said Hussain.

 

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Amir’s two-wicket spell was supported by Adam Zampa’s 3-11, as they bundled Birmingham Phoenix for 89, which was easily chased.

For the unversed, Mohammad Amir wreaked havoc on India’s top order in the Champions Trophy 2017 final, dismissing the star-studded trio of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, to help Pakistan achieve one of the most glorious feats in history.

Amir’s sensational figures of 3 for 16 in six overs helped the Green Shirts to bowl out India for 158 while chasing a mammoth 339-run target.

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday, granted No Objection Certificate (NOC) to 12 players including Mohammad Amir to participate in foreign leagues across the globe.

The 12 players granted NOC by the cricketing body include centrally-contracted players as well as those, who have not represented the country in a long time.

Experienced pacer Mohammad Amir, who came out of retirement for the T20 World Cup 2024, is poised to feature in the County Championship from July 4 to 20. Whereas, leg-spinner Usama Mir will participate in The Hundred from July 23 to August 20.

Shadab Khan, Mohammad Haris, Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Hasnain, all bound to partake in the ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024, have also been given the green signal by the board.

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Pakistan’s first-choice right-arm pacer Haris Rauf alongside Zaman Khan and mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed will participate in the Major League Cricket (MLC), scheduled to run from July 5 to 28.

Left-handed batter Fakhar Zaman has been granted NOC from 29 August to 6 October to participate in the Caribbean Premier League.

The set of players, granted the NOCs by the PCB, also features Sohaib Maqsood and Sharjeel Khan, who last represented Pakistan in 2021. The duo will participate in the World Championship of Legends from July 3 to 13.

It is worth mentioning here that the PCB has a policy which prohibits centrally contracted players from participating in more than two leagues besides the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

List of Pakistani players to get NOCs

Abrar Ahmed – Major League Cricket
Fakhar Zaman – Caribbean Premier League
Haris Rauf – Major League Cricket
Mohammad Amir – County Cricket
Mohammad Haris – Lanka Premier League
Mohammad Hasnain – Lanka Premier League
Salman Ali Agha – Lanka Premier League
Shadab Khan – Lanka Premier League
Sharjeel Khan – World Championship of Legends
Sohaib Maqsood – World Championship of Legends
Usama Mir – The Hundred
Zaman Khan – Major League Cricket

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Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam as well as star pace bowler Mohammad Amir and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan are set to play for GT20 Canada franchise Vancouver Knights in the upcoming edition.

Vancouver Knights, who got knocked out by champions Montreal Tigers in the playoff, bolstered their squad for the 2024 season by signing Amir and Babar in the GT20 Draft. Meanwhile, Rizwan was retained after representing the franchise in the 2023 edition.

The inaugural champions also acquired the services of Pakistan’s aggressive middle-order batter Asif Ali and Nepal’s master-blaster Dipendra Singh Airee as well as star spinner Sandeep Lamichhane.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s premiere left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi was roped in by Toronto Nationals, along with all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz. The Nationals’ squad also features New Zealand’s Colin Munro and South Africa’s star batter Rassie Van Dussen.

The fourth season of the GT20 will run from July 25 until August 11. The six-team tournament will be played at TD Cricket Arena in Brampton.

The inaugural edition was played in 2018, followed by the second edition in 2019. However, the third season, which was scheduled for 2020, was postponed due to COVID-19.

Ultimately, the GT20 Canada returned for the third season in 2023, where Montreal Tigers defeated Surrey Jaguars in the final to clinch their first title.

READ: Kyle Mayers replaces injured Brandon King in West Indies T20 World Cup squad

A total of 69 players were retained by six franchises for the International League T20 (ILT20) 2025, scheduled to commence in January, with ace Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi absent.

According to the league, the window for retaining players was opened on 1 June with the teams given two weeks to submit the list of the retained players.

Each franchise had the option of retaining a maximum of two United Arab Emirates (UAE) players. However, there was no limit on the retention of international players.

Following the completion of the players’ retention window, the teams can now sign new players in the ongoing Player Acquisition Window which will stay open till 15 September.

Notably, amongst the 69 players retained for ILT20 2025, 26 were part of various ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 squads including the likes of Mohammad Amir, David Warner, Nicholas Pooran, Sherfane Rutherford and Wanindu Hasaranga.

However, Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was an integral part of Desert Vipers, was not named in the retention list of the franchise while compatriots Azam Khan and Mohammad Amir retained their spots.

ILT20 2025 retention list:

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders: Aditya Shetty, Ali Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Andre Russell, Andries Gous, Charith Asalanka, David Willey, Joe Clarke, Laurie Evans, Micheal Pepper and Sunil Narine.

Desert Vipers: Adam Hose, Alex Hales, Ali Naseer, Azam Khan, Bas de Leede, Luke Wood, Micheal Jones, Mohammad Amir, Nathan Sowter, Sherfane Rutherford, Tanish Suri and Wanindu Hasaranga.

Dubai Capitals: Dasun Shanaka, David Warner, Dushmantha Chameera, Haider Ali, Raja Akif, Rovman Powell, Sam Billings, Sikandar Raza, Zahir Khan, Jake Fraser McGurk and Oliver Stone.

Gulf Giants: Aayan Afzal Khan, Blessing Muzarabani, Chris Jordan, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gerhard Erasmus, Jamie Overton, James Vince, Jamie Smith, Jordan Cox, Mohammad Zohaib Zubair, Rehan Ahmed, Richard Gleeson and Shimron Hetmyer.

MI Emirates: Akeal Hosein, Andre Fletcher, Daniel Mousley, Dwayne Bravo, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Jordan Thompson, Kieron Pollard, Kusal Perera, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Muhammad Waseem, Nicholas Pooran, Nosthush Kenjige, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth and Waqar Salamkheil.

Sharjah Warriors: Dilshan Madushanka, Johnson Charles, Junaid Siddique, Muhamad Jawadullah, Kusal Mendis, Luke Wells, Peter Hatzoglou and Tom Kohler-Cadmore.

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