Shahid Afridi: “Mohammad Amir has been playing cricket for a while; the same goes for Imad. Both of them would like to perform, given the opportunity”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan interim chief selector Shahid Afridi said left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir and spin-bowling all-rounder Imad Wasim both know they need to perform.
Imad recently captained the Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he scored 404 runs in 10 matches, which included three fifties, at an average of 134.66 and a strike-rate of 170.46.
He also took nine wickets at an average of 28.22 and an economy rate of 7.93.
Amir played under his leadership and picked up nine wickets in seven games at an average of 23.33 and an economy rate of 8.07.
“Mohammad Amir has been playing cricket for a while; the same goes for Imad. Both of them would like to perform, given the opportunity,” Afridi was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Imad was subsequently picked for Pakistan’s five-match T20I series against New Zealand, where he snapped up eight wickets at an average of 10.37 and an economy rate of 5.92.
However, he was not included in the squad for the ongoing five-match ODI series, which the men in green lead 4-0.
Amir is not being considered for selection as he retired from international cricket in December 2020.
The fifth ODI between Pakistan and New Zealand will take place on Sunday in Karachi.
Pakistan squad for ODI series against New Zealand:Â Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Usama Mir