'What do I have to prove?' Amir hits back at critics

Pakistan’s fast-bowler Mohammad Amir, in an interview with The National, hit back at critics asking what he had to prove while emphasizing the importance of performance over every other aspect of the sport.

The 27-year-old revealed that he was focused on the ongoing Habib Bank Limited (HBL) Pakistan Super League (PSL) season five.

“What do I have to prove? Performances prove everything. As a professional, whatever opportunities you get, you avail them. Right now, PSL is my focus. I want to enjoy it and perform well. World Cup is a long way away. That’s five-six months away. Now it’s all about PSL,” said Amir.

The fast-bowler, who recently retired from the Test format, stated that his overloaded schedule forced him to make the decision inorder to prolong his career.

“Everyone has their opinion. I know my body the best. I felt my body was getting overloaded. I couldn’t manage. To prolong my career, I had to take the decision, which was supported by my family. I am feeling much better and the results are visible,” he said. “Five-year gap is a lot for a bowler. When I came back, I played continuously for three straight years and that too in all formats. Fatigue was bound to happen, especially for fast bowlers. But now I am feeling much better, Alhamdulillah."

Amir claimed that focusing on one thing was integral to mental and physical freshness.

“When your focus is on one thing and you are mentally and physically fresh, you can deliver and perform better. Nowadays cricket has become so fast, you have to be strong mentally and physically. Wasim bhai being with Karachi has been a blessing for me,” he said.

The fast-bowler expressed his happiness after playing in front of his home ground in the ongoing HBL PSL 5.

“This is a dream for every player - to represent your county and play in front of your home crowd. Not just for me but every team player was missing it. This is a major milestone of my career. We played our entire cricket away. This was a dream, to play at home and at our grounds. We can’t thank our Allah enough,” he concluded.