Also returning to the squad is fast bowler Umar Gul, who last played for Pakistan on the tour of Bangladesh in April 2014.
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The 23-year-old had served time in prison in the United Kingdom for the deliberate bowling of no-balls during the 2010 series against England, while he is subject to being granted a visa to enter New Zealand if he is to resume playing for his country. Amir’s ban was relaxed in January this year and he was allowed to play domestic matches.
Mohammad Amir was arrested in November 2011 due to his corrupt antics, and was released after only serving half of his six month sentence. Pakistan Justice Party through its counsel stated that former captain Salman Butt, bowlers Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Amir were banned for spot fixing during the Pakistan team’s tour of England in 2010. “We now need to move on and I will back Amir and expect him to serve Pakistan cricket with complete dedication and commitment, and I support him”.
Amir said that he has got the passion to play the game as he loves it and his long wait has come to an end. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), though, is confident that they won’t have any issues regarding that. The left-arm paceman encounters the problem because of his conviction, chief selector Haroon Rashid told local media.
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum stated that Mohammad Amir should be given a benefit of the doubt after the International Cricket Council (ICC) has cleared his return to international cricket.
ODI squad: Azhar Ali (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sohaib Maqsood, Zafar Gohar, Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Sarfraz Ahmed, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir.
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The left-armer was recently selected for Pakistan’s training camp in Lahore, with his presence in the training group sparking objections from ODI skipper Azhar Ali and allrounder Mohammad Hafeez.
