Star pacer Mohammad Amir will miss the opening Twenty20 international match against Ireland on Friday as he will arrive in Dublin on the same day (today) to join other teammates, after facing some hurdle in getting the visa.
Friday morning around 3:30am, Amir took the planned flight to the Irish capital. He will be available for the second and third T20I, which are scheduled for Sunday and Tuesday, respectively, but it is highly unlikely that he will be selected for the first T20I.
The fast bowler could not leave with the other team members for his visa got delayed. However, Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi made some efforts to get him a visa.
The PCB actively engaged with Cricket Ireland regarding Amir's visa situation. All players, including Amir, had their visa applications processed immediately after the Kakul camp, but anxiety had gripped the PCB headquarters after the pacer didn't get his visa.
Amir was banned from international cricket for five years by the International Cricket Council (ICC) along with Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt, in a spot-fixing case in 2010.
Amir also served half of a six-month custodial sentence in young offenders institutes in Feltham and Dorset.
After marking his return in 2016, the 31-year-old helped Pakistan win the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 where Men in Green bamboozled the arch-rivals India in the final by 180 runs.
Amir is remembered for his breathtaking spell in the final where he dismantled India’s top order by removing Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and the chase-master Virat Kohli.
However, the left-arm bowler announced his international retirement at the age of 28 in December 2020, saying he could no longer play under the management and that he was being "tortured mentally".
But the bowler took back retirement before the recent series against New Zealand and was included in the national squad.
After three-match T20I series against Ireland, Pakistan will leave for Leeds, England, to play a four-match T20I series on May 22, 25, 28 and 30. After the England series, Pakistan will leave for the United States to feature in the T20 World Cup.
Ireland: Paul Stirling (c), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Barry McCarthy, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan
May 10: First T20I at Clontarf
May 12: Second T20I at Clontarf
May 14: Third T20I at Clontarf
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