London: Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq believes that Mohammad Amir can finally move on with his international career, after his side clinched a remarkable 75-run win over England at Lord’s to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match Test series.
This was Amir’s first Test appearance after completing a five-year suspension for his role in the infamous 2010 spot-fixing scandal. The 24-year-old marked his return at the ‘Home of Cricket’ with a decent performance, claiming three wickets overall, including the last one of the gripping clash.
“He’s part of the team that has won the Test match, it will be one of the memorable days of his life and from here he can start his career again. He’s a good kid now, he’s a mature cricketer and he can prove to everyone that he’s a good bowler,” an elated Misbah was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Amir had also served a prison sentence in the United Kingdom for his part in a plot with former skipper Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif to deliberately bowl no-balls in the final Test of Pakistan’s last tour of England at Lord’s in 2010.
42-year-old Misbah, who scored a vital first-innings century, was equally effusive in his praise for his rest of the teammates especially match-winner Yasir Shah.
He said, “It’s been a remarkable turnaround after the 2010 incident. The team took real responsibility and these players showed a lot of respect for the game, fought throughout the six years and brought plenty of wins. Their on- and off-the-field disciplines are really good and winning against a top side, who are really good in their home conditions, speaks volumes for this team and for all the players.”
“It is one of the top wins as a captain and as a Pakistan team. I’m really proud of the team, everybody fought and came out with really good skills. Especially today, mentally everyone was strong. Yasir Shah in first and second innings and the fast bowlers bowled really well. Overall it was a good win for us,” he added.
Yasir, the talismanic leg-spinner, bagged the Man of the Match award for taking a total of 10 wickets across two innings as England struggled to build partnerships and were eventually bundled out for 207 on the fourth day while chasing a target of 283 runs.
