Mohammad Amir is still better than most of the Pakistani Bowlers, says Chief Selector

The entire cricket fraternity is waiting to see the return of Mohammad Amir to International cricket. The Pakistani left-arm pacer who attracted a lot of people when he made his debut as a 17-year-old in 2009 was banned for five years due to his involvement in match-fixing.

Amir returned to cricket after the ICC allowed an early return to cricket in March last year and played grade two cricket in Pakistan. He moved on to grade one before getting further attention in the Bangladesh Premier League and was named in the 23-member training camp that is taking place in Lahore.

With Pakistan’s squad for the New Zealand tour set to be announced on Saturday, chief selector Haroon Rashid has complemented Amir’s performances. Rasheed told ESPNcricinfo that Amir was assessed solely on his cricketing skill.

"As a selector what we see is the overall ability, skills, form, fitness and performance so this is all we have taken into account before considering him for the New Zealand tour. He is still better than most of those who played in last five years. We have seen him performing at domestic level and he has stood out. But now we want to assess him at the international level and see how well he can deliver," he said.

Amir could have established himself as established all-rounder by now: Rasheed

Rasheed also added that Amir’s all-round abilities give him an edge over others in spite of him already being a better bowlers when compared to the others bowlers. He also pointed out the difference between a normal player and an extraordinary player with respect to the case of Amir and other bowlers.

“We are not undermining other players and forcing him [back] but there is always a difference between normal and extraordinary players. We are not axing anyone to bring him in. They are all part of the circuit and part and parcel of our planning. But about Amir, it's not just his bowling but his all-round ability. He is good fielder and can bat with surety.

“Had he kept on playing in last five years he could have been developed into an established allrounder. We have good bowlers but they are not known for their batting. I don't want to point to anyone, but we need our players to cover all the three dimensions of the game.

“Pakistan hasn't been really a bad ODI team. What has been hampering them is the fielding and fitness. Skill was never really a problem. So we want to pick a boy who has everything and as a selector we have seen something in him.," Rasheed said of Amir.