Mohammad Amir’s contracts suspected chickenpox, almost out of World Cup

Mohammad Amir’s ICC World Cup 2019 dream may be over sooner than expected. The Pakistan pacer missed the second ODI against England in Southampton because of reportedly a viral infection. According to a report in ESPNCricinfo on Monday, Amir is all set to miss the third game in Bristol on Tuesday as it has emerged that the infection is suspected to be chickenpox. He is in London with his family and not with the team currently.

Amir, who was not named in Pakistan 15-man World Cup squad, was included in the side to face England in the ODI series which was a gateway to make a case for himself for World Cup selection. How long it will take him to recover is not clear at the moment, but even if it is a week from when he originally fell ill, Amir is left with a herculean task to break into Pakistan’s 15-man squad.

According to the report, if the left-arm pacer does not recover in time for Friday’s game, then it would be close to impossible for him to make it to the squad with only two ODIs left. (ALSO READ: Playing in England ahead of World Cup will benefit Pakistan: Azhar Ali)

If Amir does not make it to the World Cup this time, it will be his third World Cup that he’s missed after missing the 2011 and 2015 editions because he was serving a five-year ban for his role in the Lord’s spot-fixing scandal of 2010.

However, ever since the final of the Champions Trophy in 2017, Amir’s wicket-taking form in ODIs has been poor. He has only five wickets to show in that time in 15 ODIs (including the washed out game at The Oval).

The pace department for Pakistan since they landed in England has become a concern for Mickey Arthur and Sarfraz Ahmed. Amir’s likely replacement for Tuesday’s ODI may be Mohammad Hasnain.