Pakistan prepare for Ireland series as visa delays put Amir’s participation in doubt

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan cricket team will hold their first training session today, Thursday, in Dublin for an upcoming three-match T20I series against Ireland, with star pacer Mohammad Amir’s participation in the series doubtful due to visa delays.
Left-arm fast bowler Amir, a permanent resident of the United Kingdom, applied for an Ireland visa along with the rest of the Pakistan side, according to a PCB official. However, while the rest of the squad received visas before their travel to Dublin on Tuesday, Amir did not and remained in Pakistan, cricket website ESPNcricinfo said.
The website reported that the PCB is in contact with Cricket Ireland over the issue. Pakistan play three T20Is against Ireland from May 10-14. Given the short duration of the tour, it seems unlikely Amir would be able to feature in the series.
“Pakistan cricket team will hold their first training session in Dublin tomorrow [Thursday],” the PCB said in a statement on Wednesday. “The first T20 match between Ireland and Pakistan will be played on May 10.”
Amir, 32, came out of retirement last month and was selected to play against New Zealand in a five-match T20I series. Together with pacers Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf, he would add strength to Pakistan’s bowling lineup as it gears up for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
The mega event will be held for the first time in the US and the West Indies in June. Pakistan will travel to the UK from May 22-30 to play against England.
The South Asian country are one of the favorites to lift the cup, though their performance has dipped somewhat in the shortest format of the game recently.
Pakistan lost 4-1 to New Zealand in an away series in January under then-captain Shaheen Shah Afridi. After Babar Azam was reappointed Pakistan’s captain, the green shirts managed to draw a home series 2-2 against a second-string New Zealand side last month.