Ace Pakistan seamer Mohammad Amir has finally received his Irish visa following a delay in obtaining one for unknown reason, as he will fly to Dublin to join his team ahead of the second T20I on May 12. Earlier, the Irish consulate denied Amir the visa for the series beginning on May 10.
Per the PCB, the board got notified of Amir’s visa clearance, making travel arrangements for the left-arm quick from Lahore to Dublin. The Pakistan team travelled on May 7 for the Irish leg of the UK tour, where they will play seven T20Is – three against Ireland and four against England, starting May 22 in Leeds.
Meanwhile, after Amir was denied the visa in the first place, the PCB contacted the Ireland Cricket Board to make necessary arrangements for his visa approval. Although the sources close to the information revealed that PCB was given no specific reason behind his visa delay, it mainly happened because of a technical issue, which is now resolved.
“Obviously, the PCB was unhappy with the visa delay as it affects the team management plans for the (T20) World Cup and also has a bearing on the affected player who has returned from retirement to international cricket after four years,” the source said.
Amir returns to international cricket
Following PSL 2024, where Imad Wasim starred for Islamabad United, guiding them to their record third title, the all-rounder announced his shock return to international cricket.
A day later, the T20 World Cup winner with Pakistan, Amir, also announced a decision to return for the marquee event in the Caribbean and the USA, starting June 1.
Both got included in the home five-match T20Is against New Zealand, which ended in a 2-2 draw. Later, both were also picked in the 18-man squad for the UK Tour, as PCB awaits the deadline (May 24) before publically announcing the final 15 for the 20-team tournament.
Here is Pakistan’s 18-man squad for the UK Tour –
Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Khan
(With inputs from agencies)
