Mohammad Amir set to feature for Derbyshire county as native player

Mohammad Amir of Essex. (Photo by Nick Wood/Getty Images)

Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir is set to join county team Derbyshire as a local player in the next season. Amir, after marrying Narjis Khan, a British citizen, awaits his British citizenship in 2024. If everything goes according to plan, Amir may make himself available for the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) player draft as well.

Notably, the Pakistani players have not played in the IPL since its inaugural edition in 2008, but Azhar Mahmood, a former Pakistan all-rounder played three seasons in the IPL (2012, 13, and 15) as he became a British citizen in 2011. Mahmood became the first Pakistani cricketer after the ban in 2008 to play in the IPL.

In the same vein, the former Pakistan pacer, Mohammad Amir, reflecting on the prospects of trying his luck in the coveted Indian Premier League (IPL). The pacer said that he has been just taking one day and step at a time and not thinking far too ahead. However, interestingly enough, Amir admitted that once he gets his citizenship, he will surely try for the best opportunity made available to him which includes not ruling out the chances of playing in the IPL.

“(Talking of IPL), there is one more year to go,” Amir said. “What will be the scenario at that time….I always say that I go step by step. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow and I start thinking about playing IPL in 2024. When I get my passport …whatever the best opportunity will be and what I will get…I will avail it,” said Amir in an interview with ARY News.

Amir has played in the County Championship in the past

Now, speaking of the 31-year-old, this will not be the first time that Mohammad Amir has played in the County Championship. Amir has previously played for Essex and Gloucestershire in the tournament. Moreover, he has featured in various leagues around the world, including Bangladesh, England, Australia, West Indies, and Pakistan.

In December 2020, at the age of 28, Mohammad Amir retired from international cricket. The left-arm pacer had a career full of ups and downs. He played 36 Tests, 61 ODIs, and 50 T20Is and picked over 250 wickets for his nation. Amir made his debut for Pakistan in 2008, but he got caught doing spot-fixing in 2010. As a result, he served jail time for the act. Thereafter, he made his comeback to help Pakistan win the Champions Trophy in 2017. In 2019, the left-arm pacer announced his retirement from Test cricket followed by retirement from all formats of the game during the pandemic phase.