Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir was named in the 17-member squad for the T20I series against New Zealand on Tuesday.

Amir, who last represented Pakistan in August 2020 against England at Old Trafford, boasts a track record of 59 wickets in 50 T20I matches with an economy rate of 7.02. 

“Going forward, we have a lot of injury-prone players and Amir’s performance is also in front of everyone. PSL is one of the best tournaments from where you select players, especially for T20s, and if somebody is available, we should only take into account their performance and Amir is one of those choices,” Riaz said.

Ramiz Raja, former Pakistan cricket captain and renowned commentator, had recently shared his thoughts on Amir's return to the national team. Raja expressed his belief that players involved in fixing shouldn't be reintegrated. He emphasized his stance by stating that even if it were his own son, he wouldn't condone such actions.

Responding to Raja's comments, Wahab Riaz acknowledged the former captain's perspective as harsh and negative, yet acknowledged the right of individuals to express their opinions freely.

“Ramiz Raja's remark regarding Mohammad Amir is exceedingly harsh and carries a distinctly negative connotation, yet everyone retains the freedom to voice their opinions," Wahab said.

Meanwhile, upon his inclusion in the squad, Amir expressed his gratitude with a religious invocation, invoking blessings from the Almighty.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Amir said “Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem” which means “in the name of Allah, most gracious, most merciful.”

Pakistan squad:

Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan (wk), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, Irfan Khan Niazi, Usama Mir, Zaman Khan