Mohammad Amir (; born 13 April 1992) is a former Pakistani cricketer and bowler for the Pakistan national cricket team. He was a left-arm fast bowler and a left handed batsman. He retired from international cricket in 2020 aged 28. He was a member of the Pakistan team that won the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.
Amir made his first-class debut on November 2008, and his first One-Day International and Test appearances on July 2009 in Sri Lanka at the age of 17. He played his first international match during the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, helping the national side win the tournament. Eight years later in England, he helped Pakistan win the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, and was a major contributor with the ball in the final, getting the major wickets of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shikhar Dhawan.
On 29 August 2010, he was arrested for spot-fixing and was given a five-year ban for bowling two deliberate no-balls. Amir pleaded guilty on the verdict handed out by his prosecutor in the International Cricket Council, and publicly asked for forgiveness. In November 2011, Amir was convicted at Southwark Crown Court, along with Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, of conspiracy charges relating to spot-fixing and spent three months in prison. His ban was considered lenient, due to his juvenile age and confession, as compared to the other two conspirators who were given seven and 10 years' suspensions, effectively ending their careers.
On 29 January 2015, it was announced that Amir would be allowed an early return to domestic cricket despite his original ban being due to expire on 2 September 2015. Mohammad Amir signed with Chittagong Vikings to play in the 2015 Bangladesh Premier League. He returned to play for Pakistan on their tour of New Zealand in 2016.
In August 2018, he was one of 33 players to be awarded a central contract for the 2018–19 season by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). On 26 July 2019, he announced his retirement from Test cricket in order to focus on limited overs cricket. On 17 December 2020, he announced his retirement from international cricket.
Early and personal life
Amir was born on 13 April 1992 in Changa Bangial, Gujar Khan, Punjab, Pakistan. He hails from Rawal tribe of [ Rajputs]]. He was the second youngest of seven children. Growing up, his idol was Wasim Akram, claiming, "Wasim Akram is my favourite bowler, he's my idol. When I used to watch him on TV, I would try to see what exactly he was doing with the ball. Then I would go outside and imitate his actions and bowling."
In 2003, at the age of 11, Amir was spotted at a local tournament and was invited to join the sports academy set up by Asif Bajwa, who is the chairman of Bajwa Cricket Academy, in Rawalpindi.
After joining the national team, Amir moved to Lahore with his family to be closer to top-flight cricket facilities.
Amir married British citizen and lawyer Narjis Khan (née Khatun) in September 2016. Together they have three daughters, Minsa Amir (b. 2017), Zoya Amir (b. 2020) and Ayra Amir (b. 2022).
Domestic and T20 career
Amir was first selected as a fast bowler by the former Pakistani fast bowler Wasim Akram at a fast bowling camp in 2007. Amir, then 15 years old, went on a tour of England with the Pakistan U-19 cricket team and was one of the leading bowlers. He took 8 wickets at an average of 16.37. In 2008, he took 4 wickets in successive matches against Sri Lanka and England. In this tri-nation tournament played in Sri Lanka he again excelled with his speed and swing bowling taking 9 wickets at an average of 11.22 in three matches. Due to injury he played only a limited part in the 2008 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup held in Malaysia.
In March 2008, he made his domestic debut for the Rawalpindi Rams whilst concurrently representing the National Bank of Pakistan. His debut domestic season resulted in him taking 55 first-class wickets for NBP. He took a lot of top order wickets including those of players in the national side. This strong domestic form resulted in him making his international breakthrough in the 2009 Twenty20 World Cup.