Mohammad Amir: “I am leaving cricket for now because I’m being mentally tortured. I don’t think I can bear such torture”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Pakistan left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir has announced his retirement from international cricket, saying that “I’m being mentally tortured”.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that Amir has brought the curtain down on his international career.

“Pakistan Cricket Board chief executive Wasim Khan spoke with Mohammad Amir this afternoon following reports that the fast bowler had announced his retirement from international cricket,” a PCB statement said. “The 28-year-old confirmed to the PCB chief executive that he has no desires or intensions of playing international cricket and as such, he should not be considered for future international matches.

“This is a personal decision of Mohammad Amir, which the PCB respects, and as such, will not make any further comment on this matter at this stage.”

In an interview with Samaa TV, Amir, who retired from Test cricket last year, claimed that he was being “mentally tortured” by the PCB and felt that the current team management have deliberately been snubbing him for selection.

“I am leaving cricket for now because I’m being mentally tortured. I don’t think I can bear such torture,” he was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. “I’ve borne lots of torture from 2010 to 2015, for which I served my time.

“I’ve been tortured by being told the PCB invested a lot in me. I’ll just say two people invested in me a lot: [former PCB chairman] Najam Sethi and [former Pakistan captain] Shahid Afridi.

“They were the only two. The rest of the team was saying, ‘we don’t want to play with Amir’. Recently, the atmosphere that’s been created means I get taunted all the time by being told I don’t want to play for my country. Who doesn’t want to play for their country?

“Every two months, someone says something against me. Sometimes the bowling coach [Waqar Younis] says Amir ditched us, sometimes I’m told my workload is unsatisfactory. Enough is enough.”

Amir did not receive a central contract earlier this year and was also left out of Pakistan’s squad for the tour of New Zealand.

Amir represented Pakistan in 36 Tests and took 119 wickets at an average of 30.47.

He also featured in 61 ODIs and claimed 81 wickets at an average of 29.62.

As for his T20 International career, the 28-year-old picked up 59 wickets at an average of 21.40.

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