Amir announces retirement from international cricket
Karachi (PTI): Controversial Pakistan left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir bid adieu to international cricket on Saturday, months after coming out of retirement to play in the T20 World Cup.
Amir, who was banned from cricket for five years between 2010 and 2015 on spot-fixing charges and was briefly jailed for his crime, had retired from all forms of international cricket in 2020.
However, he changed his mind and returned to play in T20 World Cup earlier this year.
"After careful consideration, I have taken the difficult decision to retire from international cricket. These decisions are never easy but are inevitable. I feel this is the right time for the next generation to take the baton and elevate Pakistan Cricket to new heights!" he wrote on his social media handles.
"Representing my country has been and always will be the greatest honour of my life. I would sincerely like to thank the PCB, my family and friends and, above all, my fans for their continuous love & support," he added.
Amir had been involved in the infamous spot-fixing scandal that rocked the cricket world in 2010.
The pacer, who was 19 then, had deliberately over-stepped along with fellow quick Mohammed Asif at the behest of former skipper Salman Butt and they were all caught. All three were briefly jailed in the UK, where fixing is a crime but were later released.
The ICC banned them for five years between 2010 to 2015. Only Amir made a successful return to international cricket and was the hero of Pakistan's Champions Trophy triumph over India in 2017 in the UK.
A key member of Pakistan's team over the years, he featured in 36 Tests, 61 ODIs and 62 T20Is since making his international debut in June 2009.
He took 271 international wickets and scored 1,179 runs across the three formats and was a part of the the 2009 ICC T20 World Cup-winning side.
The announcement comes a day after all-rounder Imad Wasim decided quit international cricket.
Both Amir and Wasim came out of retirement earlier this year after being assured of selection for the tours of Ireland and England, as well as the World T20 Cup, by the board and its selectors, who believed the two could help Pakistan perform well in these assignments.
Unfortunately, that didn't materialise, and neither has he been picked by the national selectors for any of the matches since the World Cup.
Amir's final outing in Pakistan colours came in June this year during the T20 World Cup against Ireland in Lauderhill, USA.
In 2020, Amir announced a dramatic end to his international cricket career, alleging that he has been "mentally tortured" by his national board's management.
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Spell out contribution of RSS, Hindu Mahasabha to making of Constitution: DMK's A Raja to BJP
New Delhi(PTI): DMK leader A Raja hit out at the BJP on Saturday, claiming that the ruling party would have changed the Constitution had the words "secular" and "socialist" not been added to the Preamble of the document during Emergency.
Participating in a debate on the Constitution in the Lok Sabha, Raja also dared the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to spell out the contribution of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Hindu Mahasabha to the making of the Constitution.
The former Union minister said democracy alone was assaulted when the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) was imposed during Emergency, but under the BJP-led government, the basic structure of the Constitution, codified by the Supreme Court in the Kesavananda Bharti case, is under attack.
"Democracy alone was assaulted during MISA, but in your regime, entire six elements (spelt out in the Kesavananda Bharati case), namely democracy, secularism, rule of law, equality, federalism, judicial impartiality, everything has gone," Raja said.
When Union minister Pralhad Joshi pointed out that DMK founder M Karunanidhi was also arrested during Emergency, Raja countered, saying his party does have grievances with the Congress, but is sitting with it to uphold the Constitution.
"We know the pain. Do not teach us lessons. In spite of that we are sitting here. Why? We have been injured, our party has been assaulted, but we think, we believe in the Constitution, nationality and the country is above everything for all of us. That is why we are sitting with the Congress," Raja said.
The senior DMK leader said the Congress was a "silent spectator" when he and his party colleague, K Kanimozhi, were put in jail in the 2G case.
"When we were arrested, the Congress was in power. We never begged. When we were acquitted, you were in power. We never begged. We stand for what we are," Raja said.
"I do not think (about) which side we are, but the cause we are standing here (opposition benches) for, that is the problem," he added.
Certain remarks made by Raja triggered an uproar in the House and were objected to by Joshi and BJP member Nishikant Dubey. BJP member Jagadambika Pal, who was in the chair, said the remarks in question will not be part of parliamentary records.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) member Lavu Srikrishna Devarayalu slammed the Congress for dividing Andhra Pradesh against the wishes of the people of the state.
"We have been hearing from the opposition that the Constitution is in danger.... I would ask the Congress to look no further than 2013," Devarayalu said.
He said the Andhra Pradesh Assembly had rejected a proposal to bifurcate the state and yet the Bill was moved in Parliament. He said the members of Parliament from the southern state were whisked out of the House when the Bill was passed.
The TDP leader also recalled that the Congress had dismissed the Andhra Pradesh government headed by Chief Minister N T Rama Rao in 1984.
Devarayalu requested the government to amend the Constitution to hold local bodies' polls as part of the proposed "one nation, one election" initiative. He also pitched for reframing the "right to education" as the "right to quality education" as students were found lacking in reading and writing skills.
Devarayalu also wanted the government to fix a timeline for governors to grant assent to bills approved by state assemblies.
