Pakistan’s left-arm bowler pacer Mohammad Amir has raised eyebrows with his tremendous swing and fiery speed in opening spells in the Bangladesh Premier League 2023 (BPL).
After returning from his spot-fixing scandal, Mohammad Amir did not quite have the swing and pace that he had in the beginning of his career where he rocked some of the best batting attacks in the world.
Mohammad Amir has since been unable to bowl over 140km/h in franchise cricket or international games.
Currently, the 30-year-old Pakistan Bowler Mohammad Amir is in Bangladesh, representing Sylhet Strikers in the 2023 edition of the local league under Mashrafe Mortaza’s leadership.
He shocked the cricket fraternity in his game against Minister Group Dhaka on Tuesday. His figures of 2/19 in four overs were pivotal to land Sylhet the victory by a whopping 62 runs.
The Strikers were defending 202. They restricted Dhaka to only 139, bowling out the opposition with three balls to spare.
Skipper Mortaza also shined with brilliant figures of 2/14 alongside Mohammad Amir’s Pakistan teammate Imad Wasim (2/24).
Mohammad Amir’s Records In BPL 2023
The left-arm quick has been quite successful in franchise cricket, especially the BPL. In his opening match of the season against Chattogram Challengers, he took another pair of wickets to mark his presence.
Moreover, Mohammad Amir holds the record for the best figures in tournament history too – 6/17 in 2020.
In the four games he has featured in the BPL 2023, Mohammad Amir has picked six wickets. He is often every franchise skipper’s go-to bowler in the opening minutes of the game because of his ability to swing the ball both ways.
And since he is not representing the national side for a while, Mohammad Amir is eager to give his absolute best in leagues so that he can be recalled for Pakistan, especially after the change in the regime at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
He has also been trending on social media for his spectacular catch in the second game against Fortune Barishal. The fast-bowler was quick to jump to his right to grab a stunner.
His diving catch meant that the dangerous Shakib al Hasan had to walk back to the dugout. His skipper Mortaza was amused too after seeing Mohammad Amir grab a worldie.
How Many Pakistanis Are In The BPL 2023?
Mohammad Amir is not the only Pakistan star making waves in the BPL though.
Young wicket-keeping sensation and top-order batsman, Mohammad Haris, is also playing alongside Mohammad Amir in Sylhet.
On the other hand, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Wahab Riaz, Shoaib Malik, Sharjeel Khan, Haider Ali , Khuwaja Mohammad Nafay and Azam Khan are also participating in the league.
Usman and Azam have scored a century each in this edition so far. Coincidentally, both centuries came in the same game when Chattogram Challengers played Khulna Tigers on January 9 (Monday).
But it was Usman, who has also represented Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League, who was awarded the Player of the Match as his 103 helped Chattogram walk away with the crucial two points.
So far, it is Mohammad Amir’s side Sylhet Strikers that are reigning on top of the points table with a 100% win record in the four games they’ve played.
They’re followed by Rangpur Riders, Fortune Barishal, MG Dhaka and Chattogram Challengers - all having only two points each.
Defending champions Comilla Victorians and Khulna Tigers are yet to open their accounts in both games they’ve played so far.