Amir joins Desert Vipers for ILT20

ILT20 2023 runners-up Desert Vipers have signed up Mohammad Amir for the second season of the tournament. Amir will join his compatriots Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan and Azam Khan in the Vipers squad.

Amir has 303 wickets so far in T20s and last played the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in September last year for Jamaica Tallawahs, where he was the third-highest wicket-taker. His last competitive series, however, was the Abu Dhabi T10 in the UAE where he won the title with his team New York Strikers with five wickets and an economy rate of 7.85. In the PSL last year, he was the top wicket-taker for Karachi Kings, along with Imad Wasim.

"In signing Amir, we have lined up a player who knows both the format, and the conditions in the UAE, inside-out," Vipers' director of cricket Tom Moody said in a media release. "He was playing in Abu Dhabi as recently as last month, for the New York Strikers in the T10 tournament, under one of our coaches, Carl Crowe, with the Strikers going on to win that event in large part due to Amir's contributions with the ball.

"And in a world where player availability is not always guaranteed because of international commitments, the fact he no longer plays for Pakistan means call-ups for his national team are not an issue.

"Amir adds further depth to our quality pace attack and we look forward to welcoming him to the Desert Vipers and to him contributing to what we hope and expect will be a successful campaign."

Amir said he was looking forward to making Vipers a top side in the upcoming season too.

"The dressing room has some very talented and experienced players like Alex Hales, Colin Munro and Sheldon Cottrell, and some exciting new faces, and I am really looking forward to playing with my fellow Pakistanis Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan and Azam Khan," he said in the release.

"I always enjoy playing in the UAE because the cricket fans always support Pakistan players and cheer us on. I know the local conditions as I have played a lot of cricket there, so that will be an advantage for me. I cannot wait to come to Dubai, and meet the team and all the amazing coaching staff, including Carl Crowe, who I worked with in the T10 tournament last month."

The second season of ILT20 starts on January 19 and Vipers' first game will be against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders on January 21 in Dubai.