Mohammad Amir started off positively in his comeback mission by making a successful return to first-class cricket in England,as the Pakistan cricket team took part in a 3-day match with Somerset. Amir had a short spell before lunch and picked up the wickets of Marcus Trescothick and Adam Hose in quick succession to give a slight edge to Pakistan on Day 2 of the match.
Hose was making his first-class debut and facing Amir was a difficult first act for the newcomer. The Pakistani bowler returned after the break to dismiss Peter Trego. The left-arm pacer had returned to the limited overs team earlier this year after serving a five-year suspension.
Amir had been a promising talent and a young prodigy for Pakistan plying his trade alongside senior pro Mohammad Asif when in 2010 both of their careers along with captain Salman Butt’s took a sharp downward turn when they were caught and convicted of spot-fixing in the controversial Lord's Test against England.
However, after completing the sentence, Amir is the only one of the tainted trio who has been successful in making a comeback into the national team. Salman Butt scored a century on his return to domestic cricket but has yet to find his way back into the national squad with Misbah-ul-Haq showing support and Shahid Afridi voicing concern against his return. Salman Butt had replaced Afridi as the captain in 2010.
Also read : The curious case of Mohammad Amir: Does he deserve a second chance?
Support for Amir from Mohammad Asif
Mohammad Asif too made a successful comeback to domestic cricket but after being overlooked for the national team, he is presently playing for Christiana Cricket Club in Oslo in an effort to be fit and the ready for the upcoming season of domestic cricket in Pakistan which is scheduled to start in September. When asked for his opinion on former teammate Amir's return to international cricket, Asif had expressed nothing but support for the youngster. “I’m happy for him, and for my team it’s a big tour in England. England are playing well now, but we’ve got a good bowling side – better than Sri Lanka’s – so hopefully Amir, Yasir Shah and Wahab Riaz will give England a time.”
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