"Will Play For Pakistan...": Mohammad Amir Breaks Silence On His Future

Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir has expressed his excitement at the opportunity to potentially represent Pakistan again. Notably, Amir had called time on his international career in 2020 in protest over the "shabby" treatment he said he received from the then management. Recently, fellow pacer Wahab Riaz had hinted that Amir could be back in Pakistan's squad. "We may see Mohammad Amir coming back to play for Pakistan once again," Wahab was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan in an interview to Samaa News.

However, with Ramiz Raja, the former PCB chief, shown the exit door by the new government, Amir has finally broken silence on his Pakistan future.

"If Allah wills, I will play for Pakistan again. But I would like to play and perform well in PSL," Amir told the reporters at the National High-Performance Centre (NHPC) in Lahore.

Notably, Amir has been training at the NHPC to prepare for the upcoming season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

Amir thanked the interim PCB chief, Najam Sethi, for allowing him to train at the NHPC.

It is worth noting that Ramiz was removed as the chairman of the PCB earlier this month. A 14-member committee, headed by Najam Sethi, had been appointed to run the affairs of the game for the next four months.

The Pakistan government, through a notification last week, removed Raja following the national team's 3-0 whitewash by England in the Test series. The notification, issued by Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, has to be approved by the federal cabinet, which is just a formality.

Ever since Ramiz Raja was removed from the post of PCB chairman, several stakeholders of the game in the country have spoken out against him.

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Pak Skipper Babar Explains Shock Declaration Call vs NZ In Karachi Test

Skipper Babar Azam explained the thinking behind Pakistan's shock declaration late on day five of the Karachi Test on Friday against New Zealand. Pakistan declared late on day five with just about 15 overs of play left, setting New Zealand a target of 138. The shock declaration opened up the Test match with the visitors starting off all guns blazing to chase the target down. However, the play had to be called off early with bad light intervening in the eighth over. While Pakistan could only pick up one wicket before the Test ended in a draw, Babar said they wanted to take a "chance".

Saud Shakeel was in the middle with a half-century and was a bit taken aback by the skipper's shock call.

"We said we'd go after a result," Babar said after the match.

"We took a chance, you never know. It's cricket. Anything can happen. Saud and [Mohammad] Wasim Junior's partnership was vital for us because it brought us into the game. That put the idea in my head that we could declare. You all will have enjoyed it as well, and it surprised everyone. It was in our mind we'd take a chance because anything can happen," added Babar Azam.

Pakistan couldn't get the early cluster of wickets they sought upon making the call. New Zealand, however, took the bait to make some quick runs and threatened to chase the target down before poor light interrupted play.

"At times you have to take brave decisions and take chances. As a team and captain, I try and do that. You plan for a result, even if you can't guarantee it," Babar said.

Pakistan ended the year with zero wins in home Tests, avoiding a fifth straight loss at home in Karachi, but the skipper acknowledged New Zealand for dominating the Test.

"It's not that we need to play different cricket. We need to take things session by session and day by day. We need to be positive and play with aggression. We're working on it. Everyone has a different game and mindset. We need to credit New Zealand with the way they played and dominated, " Babar said.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Today in History SUN JAN 01

Today in History Today is Sunday, Jan. 1, the first day of 2023. There are 364 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that slaves in rebel states shall be “forever free.” On this date: In 1892, the Ellis Island Immigrant Station in New York formally opened. In 1942, the Rose Bowl was played in Durham, North Carolina, because of security concerns in the wake of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor; Oregon State defeated Duke, 20-16. In 1953, country singer Hank Williams Sr., 29, was discovered dead in the back seat of his car during a stop in Oak Hill, West Virginia, while he was being driven to a concert date in Canton, Ohio. In 1954, NBC broadcast the first coast-to-coast color TV program as it presented live coverage of the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. In 1959, Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries overthrew Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista, who...

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"Quite Negative": Ex-Pak Star Criticises Team's Approach In Test Cricket

Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal expressed his disappointment after Pakistan narrowly escaped defeat in the Test series opener against New Zealand. Notably, the Babar Azam-led side failed to win a single Test at home this year. While criticising the pitches used for the recent Test matches on home soil, Akmal said that a change in approach is a must for Pakistan if they want to produce better results in Test cricket. He suggested that Pakistan should make tracks where there is something on offer for the bowlers as well.

"Pakistan's approach in Test cricket has been quite negative, considering the pitches that we have been preparing. While we have used batting-friendly pitches in the last seven home Tests, it is equally important to give our bowlers some confidence. If your spinners are going to bowl so many overs, how are you going to take 20 wickets? We should consider playing on grassy wickets, as our pacers are quicker than the New Zealand fast bowlers," Akmal said in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel.

Akmal added that fans got bored during the first Test, and might start to lose interest in Test cricket soon, if the Babar and Co. don't change their approach.

"Fans were bored during this Test match. If Pakistan continue to do the same, it will be tough to bring fans to the stadium for red-ball matches. It is imperative that Pakistan change their approach to keep Test cricket alive in the country. We will have to play fearlessly," he added.

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