PLAYERS ‘SCARED TO ASK FOR REST’
Amir’s anger at Pakistan team bosses over ‘communication gap’
PAKISTAN bowler Mohammad Amir has said players in the national team are afraid of asking for a break even when they are exhausted as they worry about being dropped from the side due to a “communication gap” with the management.
Amir, who has retired from Test cricket to prolong his career in the shorter formats of the game, said communication and understanding needs to be better between players and the team management.
“The problem is if a player musters the courage to say that he wants rest, he is dropped, so players are now scared about speaking about it with the management,” he told the News One channel.
“There is a mindset in Pakistan cricket where players are scared of being dropped from the team. I think this communication gap should be removed between players and the management.
“If a player wants to take a break he should be happy to speak about it with the management, and they should understand his point of view and give him a rest instead of dropping him from the team,” he said.
Amir, who was left out of the ongoing tour of New Zealand, reiterated that his decision to retire from Test cricket last year was turned into an unnecessary controversy.
“Mickey Arthur was our head coach and anyone can ask him. I was telling him since 2017 that if my workload is not managed I would have to leave Test cricket,” he asserted.
“After I announced my decision, no one spoke to me for six months about it and a controversy was only created around my decision when we lost in Australia.
“People lack common sense to understand the situation I was in after returning to cricket from the five-year ban,” he added referring to the spot-fixing ban that he served.
Amir said people failed to understand his predicament when he returned to cricket after the ban without any training.
“Ask the team physio the problems I was facing with my eyes, knees and shoulders. I kept on telling them to manage my workload [but] no one listened,” he alleged.
“I remember playing in the first match of the World Cup with spasms and after taking pain killers. I only decided to retire from Test cricket when I realised my body could not take it, and if I wanted to prolong my career I had to do something. So I decided to give up Test cricket to prolong my career.”
Amir also lamented being constantly judged for the spot-fixing taint.
“What happened in 2010 was wrong and I paid for it by being out of cricket for five years, so much so I couldn’t even play club matches. But people still tend to judge you by the past rather than from the present.
“I think only God has power to be judgemental. I believe if your conscience is clear it is ok. But there is more negativity than positivity in Pakistan cricket.”