Pakistan speedster Mohammad Amir might have not been with Men in Green’s squad in New Zealand for the T20I series, but continues to grab the eyeballs with his performance for Galle Gladiators in the ongoing Lanka Premier League (IPL) 2020 in Sri Lanka.
On Monday, Amir achieved a rare feat in the shorter format of the game, scalping a fifer against Colombo Kings in the LPL T20 2020 to push his case strong for Pakistan selection.
However, the pacer has insisted that he won't look too far, taking things as it comes, but he will definitely love to regain his place in Pakistan’s limited-overs squad keeping in mind the two ICC T20 World Cups coming up next year in India and then in Australia in 2022.
Amir told ANI: “I will take things as it comes, keep myself fit, train hard, and see how it goes. Right now my focus is on the Lanka Premier League and my team Galle Gladiators.”
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The fast bowler admitted that being at home during the shutdown enforced by the COVID-19 pandemic was tough but he did everything that he could to be fit and match ready when the action finally resumed.
He further explained, “Yes, the time has been tough for people and sports took a backseat for a while during the lockdown. As a professional cricketer, I did whatever I could, in a limited capacity, to keep myself fit and it also gave me time to think about my game. But things have slowly started to move on and here we are at the Lanka Premier League today.
It is a new league, happening under some really challenging circumstances, but it is going on well, there are some really good performances from so many players. For us, Galle Gladiators, the journey hasn't been very good so far but there are still few games left for us to reverse the trend.”
However, the 28-year-old has insisted that he hasn't thought about playing red-ball cricket again, rather, worked on his white-ball skills and fitness during the lockdown.
Amir also lauded India captain Virat Kohli who often praises the pacer for his performance with the ball.
He continued, “I haven't thought about playing red-ball cricket again very soon, and I utilized the break to work on my fitness and on my overall game for the shorter formats.”
Amir signed off by saying, “Virat Kohli is a great player, one of the best, and his performance speaks for itself. Apart from his game, I also have huge respect for him as a person. It is always very fulfilling to hear good words from another great cricketer and a good human being.”
(With ANI Inputs)
