Last week, head coach Misbah-ul-Haq accused Amir of making up the circumstances around which he announced his retirement
Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir has left the door ajar for a possible return to international cricket, but reiterated he would “only be available once this management leaves”. Amir, who last month retired from international cricket alleging he was being “mentally tortured”, has seen his relationship with the current PCB board and management deteriorate steadily over time, with the war of words showing no signs of simmering down since Amir walked away from the national side.
Last week, Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq accused Amir of “making up” the circumstances around which he announced his retirement, claiming the bowler had missed out on selection for a number of series previously because his performance hadn’t been good enough. He dismissed suggestions Amir’s omission came about as a result of a personal feud between the 28-year old and bowling coach Waqar Younis, saying “nobody supported his selection” among the six association coaches, Misbah himself, and the Pakistan captain Babar Azam.
Upon missing out on selection for the series against New Zealand, Amir had tweeted that “only Misbah” could explain why he hadn’t been included, before criticising bowling coach Waqar Younis for talking about his workload. That, coupled by Amir’s frequent praise of former Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur, at one point saying he would “love to play under Arthur for any side in the world”, offered insight into how he viewed his relations with the current coaching staff.
The PCB told ESPNcricinfo they had no further comment on Amir’s latest remarks, insisting they would not issue statements through the media on matters pertaining to a retired cricketer.
Danyal Rasool is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo. @Danny61000