Former Pakistan fast-bowler Mohammad Amir will now be part of the ILT20 2023 runners-up team Desert Vipers. That means, he will join teammates Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan and Azam Khan the squad. Amir, despite giving up international cricket, is a force to reckon with the shortest format, and has over 300 wickets in T20s.
In 2023, he played the CPL for Jamaica Tallawahs as well, and finished as the third-highest wicket taker. “In signing Amir, we have lined up a player who knows both the format, and the conditions in the UAE, inside-out,” Vipers’ director of cricket Tom Moody said in a media release.
“He was playing in Abu Dhabi as recently as last month, for the New York Strikers in the T10 tournament, under one of our coaches, Carl Crowe, with the Strikers going on to win that event in large part due to Amir’s contributions with the ball. And in a world where player availability is not always guaranteed because of international commitments, the fact he no longer plays for Pakistan means call-ups for his national team are not an issue.
“Amir adds further depth to our quality pace attack and we look forward to welcoming him to the Desert Vipers and to him contributing to what we hope and expect will be a successful campaign.”