Mohammad Amir to miss first T20I against Ireland

New Delhi [India]: Pakistan speedster Mohammad Amir will link up with the Pakistan team on Friday in Ireland ahead of the first T20I but he will miss the first match.

Pakistan will begin their three-match series on Friday at the Clontarf Cricket Club in Dublin.

The Men in Green travelled to Ireland on Tuesday but Amir stayed back due to visa delay. According to Geo News, Amir left for Dublin on the flight scheduled at 3:30 am today and will be unavailable for the first T20I. But he will be in contention for the second and third T20I which will be played on Sunday and Tuesday, respectively.

Amir was banned from international cricket for five years by the International Cricket Council in 2011 along with Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif after being found guilty of spot-fixing during the Lord's Test in 2010.

The 32-year-old pacer announced his retirement in December 2020 stating that he felt "mentally tortured".

Amir reversed his retirement in March this year to make himself available for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and the West Indies.

Pakistan's tour of England and Ireland will play a crucial role in their preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup which will kick off on June 1 in the USA and the West Indies.

After the conclusion of the Ireland series, the Men in Green will travel to England for a four-match T20I series which will kick off on May 22. For the marquee event in June, Pakistan are placed in Group A alongside USA, India, Canada and Ireland.

The Men in Green will kick off their campaign against the USA on June 6 and will face arch-rival India on June 9 at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York.

Pakistan squad for the T20I tour of Ireland and England: Babar Azam (C), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan.

(ANI)