Mohammad Amir

Few fast bowlers have experienced such dramatic highs and lows as Mohammad Amir. A left-arm quick blessed with pace, swing and remarkable control from a young age, Amir looked destined for a long and distinguished career almost from the moment he broke into Pakistan's side. His journey, however, was interrupted by a five-year ban that took him away from the game at the height of his early promise. His eventual return and subsequent success made his career one of the most compelling stories in Pakistan cricket.

Amir made his international debut as a teenager during the 2009 T20 World Cup in England and played every game as Pakistan went on to win the tournament. His Test and ODI debuts followed weeks later. He quickly established himself across formats, with his ability to swing the new ball making him a difficult proposition for batters. His Test career built rapidly from there. When Pakistan toured England in 2010, he took 13 wickets across the first three Tests of the series. His best figures of that tour, 6 for 84, came in the very match at Lord's where his career took its infamous turn. Amir was found guilty of deliberately bowling no-balls as part of a spot-fixing scandal and was banned from cricket for five years. The suspension kept him out of international cricket from 2010 to 2015.

Amir returned to international cricket in 2016 and gradually rebuilt his place in Pakistan's white-ball setup. The defining moment of his comeback came at the 2017 Champions Trophy, where he removed Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan during a brilliant opening spell in the final against India at The Oval, finishing with 3 for 16 as Pakistan won the title. Amir continued playing limited-overs cricket for Pakistan, retiring from Tests in 2019 to focus on white-ball formats. He also became a prominent figure in franchise cricket around the world. In 2020, he announced his retirement from international cricket, citing his treatment by team management.

Amir made himself available again in 2024 and featured at that year's T20 World Cup before retiring for a second time later that year. Amir's white-ball skills made him a fixture on the global T20 circuit. He represented Karachi Kings in the inaugural edition of the Pakistan Super League in 2016 and bowled the first hat-trick in the competition's history. He went on to become one of Karachi's most important players, helping them win their maiden PSL title in 2020.

Beyond the PSL, Amir played for franchises across the world and became a sought-after name in T20 cricket. His career in England also continued to grow, with stints for Essex, Gloucestershire and Derbyshire in the T20 Blast, as well as appearances in the Hundred. After being granted a British passport through his wife, Amir signed for Nottinghamshire as a local player for the 2026 T20 Blast, also joining the Trent Rockets in the Hundred that year.