Mohammad Amir’s departure for Ireland delayed

Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir’s departure for Ireland has been delayed due to visa issues, according to the team management.

The Pakistan team is set to leave for Ireland tomorrow but Amir won’t accompany them. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is hopeful that Amir’s visa will be issued soon.

Amir will leave for Ireland from the first available flight after his visa process is completed. 

Amir was banned from international cricket for five years by the International Cricket Council (ICC) along with Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt, in a spot-fixing case in 2010.

Amir also served half of a six-month custodial sentence in young offenders institutes in Feltham and Dorset.

After marking his return in 2016, the 31-year-old helped Pakistan win the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 where Men in Green bamboozled the arch-rivals India in the final by 180 runs.

Amir is remembered for his breath-taking spell in the final where he dismantled India’s top order by removing Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and the chase-master Virat Kohli.

However, the left-arm bowler announced his international retirement at the age of 28 in December 2020, saying he could no longer play under the management and that he was being "tortured mentally".

But Amir took back retirement before the recent series against New Zealand and was included in the national squad.

Pakistan team will play three T20Is in Ireland, followed by four in England. After the England series, Pakistan will leave for the United States to feature in the T20 World Cup.