Mohammad Amir cites Haider Ali's example over earning money from leagues

Retired pacer Mohammad Amir feels he is unnecessarily targeted by certain sections and cited Pakistan batsman Haider Ali's example over earning money from leagues.

While speaking to Pakpassion.net, Amir asked why are people not calling the young batsman a ‘money-grabber’ for opting for a stint in Caribbean Premier League (CPL) like they do with him, when he plays in a T20 league.

"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," said Amir.

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Amir added that he only started opting for league cricket after he was dropped from the national side.

"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," he said.