Image Credit- Getty
2023 runners-up, ILT20 Mohammad Amir has joined the
Desert Vipers for the competition’s second season. Amir will be a member of the
Vipers team alongside his fellow countrymen Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan,
and Azam Khan.
Amir has taken 303 wickets in T20 cricket so far. He
recently competed for the Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League
(CPL) in September of last year, finishing third in terms of wickets taken. But
in the Abu Dhabi T10 in the United Arab Emirates, he and his club, the New York
Strikers, emerged victorious with an economy rate of 7.85 and five wickets.
That was his last competitive series. Along with Imad Wasim, he led the Karachi
Kings in wickets taken during the PSL season last year.
“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.”
Amir said he was looking forward to making Vipers a
top side in the upcoming season too.
“The dressing room has some very talented and
experienced players like Alex Hales, Colin Munro and Sheldon Cottrell, and some
exciting new faces, and I am really looking forward to playing with my fellow
Pakistanis Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan and Azam Khan,” he said in the
release.
“I always enjoy playing in the UAE because the
cricket fans always support Pakistan players and cheer us on. I know the local
conditions as I have played a lot of cricket there, so that will be an
advantage for me. I cannot wait to come to Dubai, and meet the team and all the
amazing coaching staff, including Carl Crowe, who I worked with in the T10
tournament last month.”