Pakistani fast bowler Muhammad Amir, in a bid to prolong his international career, is considering shortening his Test career.
According to Cricinfo, the fast bowler has come to an agreement in principle with Pakistan’s head coach, Mickey Arthur, which will see Amir’s workload being managed in the future, and it is likely that it will reduce the number of Tests he appears in.
Amir, 25, has played 30 Tests since his debut nearly nine years ago, but he didn’t play any cricket for five of those years when he was serving a ban for his part in the Lord’s spot-fix in 2010. He was 18 at the time, had played 14 Tests and become the youngest bowler to take 50 Test wickets. Had he not taken part in the fix and been banned it is likely he would have played a majority of Pakistan’s 43 Tests in the interim.
Since his international return at the start of 2016, he has added 16 Tests and though his record may not stand out – 44 wickets at 37.25 – he has been a regular for Pakistan in all three formats. Added to stints in county cricket and T20 leagues and it is no surprise he is starting to feel the toll. He has bowled the most international overs for any Pakistan bowler since his return (864.3 overs) across all formats, sixth among fast bowlers worldwide – none of the others returned, however, from five years out of top-flight sport.
“Cricket is different since 2010 and if you look back I have lost five precious years of my career,” Amir told ESPNcricinfo. “Just imagine had I played in all those years, the count could have been 70-80 Tests.
“I can’t roll back that lost time but I can manage my workload to extend my career as much as I can. With every passing day I’m getting older and I know fans want me to play. But if you look rationally I’m human and not an iron man. My passion is still there and I want to be there for fans, serving the country for a long time. I have played 30 Tests so far. I think in the next few years I might miss a few and possibly I might end up with 50 Tests.