The upcoming Pakistan tour of England will be unusual in that a combined Test and T20 25 man squad will remain together throughout the entire tour.
That will create some unusual dilemmas for Chief Selector Misbah-ul-Haq. Certain white ball specialists such as Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz have retired from the Test format and are no longer being paid for full national contracts on the basis that they do not play that format.
But there is every reason to assume that if they are with the squad, staying in the hotel and bowling in the nets, they would probably be prepared to play the Tests if selected. And Amir in particular would be an automatic selection - two years ago on the Test tour of the British Isles he took 12 wickets at an average of 18.42! In his Test career with a Dukes Ball over there he has 54 wickets at 24.52, which is a superb record.
In Pakistan for some reason players who have retired from a format seem to be viewed as having deserted their country. This didn't used to be the case - Imran Khan retired after the 1987 World Cup only to return to lead the team to glory in the West Indies 8 months later and then to World Cup victory in 1992. Yet Amir is treated like a deserter or a traitor, while Imran Khan is now the Prime Minister!
In football this happens all the time.
Lionel Messi retired after the 2016 Copa America, only to lead his country to the World Cup two years later - and they wouldn't have qualified without him.
France reached the 2006 World Cup Final driven by the trio of Zidane, Thuram and Makalele who had ALL retired from national duty previously.
Henrik Larsson retired before EACH ONE of Euro 2004, World Cup 2006 and Euro 2008 - only to return. People accepted that he was helping his country, not deserting it.
I went to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa where England recalled Jamie Carragher because they needed a senior figure to replace the disgraced John Terry.
Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz are penalised financially for not being available for Tests. But if either can do a job, I see no disgrace in inviting him to return.
And for Pakistan that's crucial.The tail is going to be awfully long with Shaheen, Naseem and Abbas in the attack, but a fourth quick is crucial. And Amir offers something that Imran and Musa and Haris Rauf and Hasnain do not - he can bat in SENA conditions.
I will never forget Holland being the runners-up at the 1978 World Cup, losing after extra time. And I will never accept that they would not have won if Johan Cruyff had come out of retirement.
You can argue that Imran Khan and Musa Khan were "loyal" in Australia last year while Amir was not. But that argument just promotes and rewards mediocrity.
Pakistan would do well to forget the supposed ethical issues about recalling retired players. The key is to pick the strongest team, not the most loyal or dedicated one.
That will create some unusual dilemmas for Chief Selector Misbah-ul-Haq. Certain white ball specialists such as Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz have retired from the Test format and are no longer being paid for full national contracts on the basis that they do not play that format.
But there is every reason to assume that if they are with the squad, staying in the hotel and bowling in the nets, they would probably be prepared to play the Tests if selected. And Amir in particular would be an automatic selection - two years ago on the Test tour of the British Isles he took 12 wickets at an average of 18.42! In his Test career with a Dukes Ball over there he has 54 wickets at 24.52, which is a superb record.
In Pakistan for some reason players who have retired from a format seem to be viewed as having deserted their country. This didn't used to be the case - Imran Khan retired after the 1987 World Cup only to return to lead the team to glory in the West Indies 8 months later and then to World Cup victory in 1992. Yet Amir is treated like a deserter or a traitor, while Imran Khan is now the Prime Minister!
In football this happens all the time.
Lionel Messi retired after the 2016 Copa America, only to lead his country to the World Cup two years later - and they wouldn't have qualified without him.
France reached the 2006 World Cup Final driven by the trio of Zidane, Thuram and Makalele who had ALL retired from national duty previously.
Henrik Larsson retired before EACH ONE of Euro 2004, World Cup 2006 and Euro 2008 - only to return. People accepted that he was helping his country, not deserting it.
I went to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa where England recalled Jamie Carragher because they needed a senior figure to replace the disgraced John Terry.
Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz are penalised financially for not being available for Tests. But if either can do a job, I see no disgrace in inviting him to return.
And for Pakistan that's crucial.The tail is going to be awfully long with Shaheen, Naseem and Abbas in the attack, but a fourth quick is crucial. And Amir offers something that Imran and Musa and Haris Rauf and Hasnain do not - he can bat in SENA conditions.
I will never forget Holland being the runners-up at the 1978 World Cup, losing after extra time. And I will never accept that they would not have won if Johan Cruyff had come out of retirement.
You can argue that Imran Khan and Musa Khan were "loyal" in Australia last year while Amir was not. But that argument just promotes and rewards mediocrity.
Pakistan would do well to forget the supposed ethical issues about recalling retired players. The key is to pick the strongest team, not the most loyal or dedicated one.
