Mohammad Amir Named in Pakistan Squad For New Zealand Series
Mohammad Amir, whose spot-fixing ban ended in September, however, faces a potential hurdle as he might not get New Zealand visa owing to his criminal conviction five years back.
Mohammad Amir is all set to return to the Pakistan team after being selected in the squad for an upcoming series in New Zealand, months after completing a five-year spot-fixing ban. (Pakistan Coach Waqar Younis Excited Over Mohammad Amir Return)
His inclusion in the Twenty20 and One-Day International squads remains contingent on him being issued a visa by Wellington -- a potential hurdle given Amir's criminal conviction for his role in arranging deliberate no-balls during Pakistan's tour of England in 2010. (Mohammad Amir Deserves a Second Chance: Imran Khan)
The scandal, which also involved his captain Salman Butt and fellow bowler Mohammad Asif, was broken by an undercover reporter of the now defunct British tabloid News of the World. (Waqar Younis Wants to Personally Oversee Mohammad Amir's Progress)
Before the ban Amir was regarded as the hottest property in international cricket, having taken 51 wickets in 14 Tests and 25 in 15 One-Day Internationals. He also had 23 wickets in 18 Twenty20 matches. (Mohammad Yousuf, Ramiz Raja Exchange Coarse Words on Mohammad Amir Issue)
Chief selector Haroon Rasheed said: "Amir's inclusion is subject to his visa and he was available for selection after being cleared by the ICC and Pakistan Cricket Board. His recent form has been excellent and that's why we picked him," said Rasheed.
Since his ban was relaxed in April last year and completely lifted in September, Amir has been in tremendous form, taking 86 wickets in 21 four-day and Twenty20 games.
The three Twenty20s will take place on January 15, 17 and 22, while the ODIs will be held on January 25, 28 and 31.
Twenty20 Squad: Shahid Afridi (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Sohaib Maqsood, Sarfraz Ahmed, Anwar Ali, Imad Wasim, Wahab Riaz, Aamer Yamin, Umar Gul, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Amir, Saad Nasim
One-day 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