Following Mohammad Amir’s retirement from all forms of international cricket and revelation that he was “mentally tortured” by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Shoaib Akhtar has claimed that he too wasn’t treated well by the management.
After the news of Amir’s retirement surfaced, Akhtar posted a video on his YouTube channel and said that he was mistreated by the PCB during the 2011 World Cup.
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However, he suggested that Amir shouldn’t have retired for his issues with the management but instead, he “should have bowled well and improved his performance”.
“I openly say that I was not treated well during the 2011 World Cup, not by Shahid Afridi but by the rest of the management. I am saying it openly. I was harassed but I didn’t care as I had already announced my retirement,” Akhtar, who retired after the 2011 World Cup, said.
“Amir should have bowled well and improved his performance so that no one could remove him from the team. You have to face your fears and you must confront management but by performing,” he added.
The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ further said that if given a chance, he could train Amir to bowl again with the same intensity in just two months.
“If you hand Amir to me for two months, everyone will see him bowling over 150km/hr. I can teach him that I taught him three years ago. He can make a comeback,” said Akhtar.
Mohammad Amir shocked the cricket world with his retirement from all forms of international cricket on Thursday. He had already hanged his Test boots in 2019.
“I have been mentally tortured,” Amir can be seen saying in a video which has gone viral on social media.
“I don’t think I can play cricket under this management, I am leaving cricket, for now, I am being mentally tortured, I cannot handle it, I have seen it enough from 2010-2015. I have to repeatedly hear that PCB invested a lot in me, however it is not the case. I am thankful to Shahid Afridi as he gave me chances when I came back after the ban and will also thank Najam Sethi (former PCB chairman),” said Amir.
Amir, who played 36 Tests, 61 ODIs, and 50 T20Is for Pakitan in which he scalped a total of 259 wickets, in a video said: “I don’t think I can play cricket under this management. I am leaving cricket, for now. I am being mentally tortured. I cannot handle it. I have seen it enough from 2010-2015. I have to repeatedly hear that PCB invested a lot in me. However it is not the case. I am thankful to Shahid Afridi as he gave me chances when I came back after the ban and will also thank Najam Sethi (former PCB chairman).”
PCB confirmed Amir’s retirement after the latter spoke to PCB chief executive Wasim Khan.