Essex Eagles face Hampshire at The Cloudfm County Ground on Thursday and Mohammad Amir has been named in the squad for the first time after having his UK Sporting Visa approved.
The 27-year-old left-armer was one of the standout bowlers in the World Cup and his pace combined with his consistent accuracy thrilled the Chelmsford crowd when he represented the Eagles two seasons ago.
Amir claimed the highest number of wickets by a Pakistan bowler in the 2019 World Cup, a statistic that gave him much satisfaction.
He said: “Yes, that was really pleasing for me. It was much-needed for me because before the tournament, I was struggling to take wickets.
“Everyone wants to bowl at 90 mph and it’s not that easy. But I’m getting back to my best and I’m getting wickets and I’m focussing on my speed. But also, economy rate in T20 cricket is very important, more so perhaps than taking wickets actually.”
On playing at Chelmsford again, Amir said: “I loved playing in front of the Essex fans when I was here last, they were very supportive, and it was a splendid place to be.”
“I’m delighted to be back here because they are a really good club. They are like my family and now I want to perform really well for Essex and the crowd.”
Essex Eagles squad to face Hampshire:
Simon Harmer (11) (Captain)
Mohammad Amir (5)
Aaron Beard (14)
Sam Cook (16)
Cameron Delport (89)
Dan Lawrence (28)
Matt Quinn (94)
Shane Snater (29)
Ryan ten Doeschate (27)
Paul Walter (22)
Tom Westley (21)
Adam Wheater (31) (Wicket-keeper)
Adam Zampa (88)
