Former Pakistan pacer and national selector Wahab Riaz reacted to former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja’s remarks about left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir.
Pakistan’s newly-constituted seven-member selection committee announced a 17-member squad for the five-match home T20I series against New Zealand which saw the return of Amir.
Explaining Amir’s selection, Riaz highlighted the valuable experience Amir possesses and also his recent performances in the franchise league cricket including the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
“Going forward, we have a lot of injury-prone players and Amir’s performance is also in front of everyone.
“PSL is one of the best tournaments from where you select players, especially for T20s, and if somebody is available, we should only take into account their performance and Amir is one of those choices.
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Wahab Riaz then went on to term Ramiz Raja’s statement regarding Mohammad Amir as “exceedingly harsh” but acknowledged the freedom of speech.
“Ramiz Raja’s remark regarding Mohammad Amir is exceedingly harsh and carries a distinctly negative connotation, yet everyone retains the freedom to voice their opinions,” stated Riaz.
Earlier, former Pakistan captain and renowned commentator did not mince his words while lashing out at Amir’s return to international cricket, stating once a player was involved in fixing should not be brought back.
“My opinion on this is very simple. While sympathy may exist for him [Amir], in my book there is no forgiveness. If God forbid my son was to engage in such actions, I would disown him,” Raja said on a local news channel.
“I remember the time when these players did fixing because I was doing commentary at Lord’s. People hated me because I was being identified with the fixers, in their opinion, and I can never forget the criticism we faced on media,” he added.
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