Mohammad Amir on whether he plans to play in IPL after getting British citizenship: Let’s see how things go

Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir who retired from international cricket at the age of 28 in December last year has opened up on his plans to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The left-arm pacer is currently playing franchise cricket across the world and plans to raise his kids in England. Doors for Amir to play in the IPL, world’s biggest T20 league, can open once he gets the British Citizenship. In a recent interview Mohammad Amir revealed that he plans to play cricket for another 6 to 7 years but haven’t really thought about his plans after receiving the citizenship.

“At the moment I’ve been granted indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom. I’m enjoying my cricket these days and plan to play for another 6 or 7 years so let’s see how things go. My children will grow up in England and receive their education there so no doubt I will be spending a fair amount of time there. At the moment, I’ve not really thought about the other possibilities and opportunities available and how things will turn out when I receive British citizenship in the future,” Amir told PakPassion.net.

Mohammad in his controversial international career played 36 Tests, 61 ODIs and 50 T20Is. He had cited ‘mental torture’ by the management as the reason behind his decision. The fast bowler had openly criticised Pakistan coaching staff including Waqar Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq on more than one occasion.

Players getting opportunities to play in leagues should grab it

Further, Mohammad Amir shunned allegations that he retired from international cricket to play in T20 leagues across the globe and make money. He took an indirect dig without naming anyone and said that his actions have always been unnecessarily twisted by some people.

“Some have such a mindset where they feel that a certain person can never do anything right. No matter what that player does, they will twist it and turn it into a negative. I am only playing in the leagues that are available to other Pakistani cricketers and it’s not as if there are any special leagues being organised just for my benefit. Are other players being called out for putting money first? For example, Haider Ali recently signed to play in the Caribbean Premier League, are people calling him a money-grabber? If players are getting an opportunity to play in a league, then they should go for it.

“When I was dropped from the Pakistan side, I was going to grab every opportunity so that I could improve and prove to others that I can still perform and people accepted that. But, then when I retired from Test cricket and I was playing in leagues around the world, suddenly people started saying it was all about money,” Amir added.