Exclusive: Mohammad Amir will join Derbyshire as a local player after going through the British citizenship process

Mohammad Amir retired from international cricket in 2020. Photo: Getty Images/Stu Forster. >Amir, 31, retired from international cricket in 2020 and is seeking British citizenship — his wife is a British citizen — before signing an agreement with Derbyshire.

Amir gained notoriety in 2010, when he was 18, when he was one of only two bowlers (the other being the more experienced Mohammad Asif) who intentionally bowled balls without balls during the Test Tour of the England.

This resulted in Amir being suspended for five years by the International Cricket Board and serving half of a six-month sentence in juvenile institutions in Feltham and Dorset. Asif and Captain Salman Butt were also imprisoned and punished by the ICC.

Amir returned to international cricket in 2016 but retired during the pandemic. Since then he has been a traveling freelancer, playing in Pakistan, England, Bangladesh and the Caribbean. At times he has been a world class player in all three formats, scoring 259 wickets for Pakistan, including 119 in Tests.

Amir has experience playing county cricket, mainly for Essex but also for Gloucestershire. He also played in the first season of The Hundred for Lord's London Spirit. If he becomes a British citizen, he will be able to play in the 100 as a local resident.

Derbyshire has unusual ties to Pakistan as their head coach Mickey Arthur is also director of cricket in Pakistan, mostly working remotely during the English season. The South African Arthur was the head coach of four countries, including Pakistan, when Amir was a key player in their attack in 2016 and 2019.

Arthur wants to rebuild Derbyshire, which regularly find themselves at the bottom of the County Championship. He has signed Worcestershire's Pat Brown and is also believed to be interested in signing former England international Samit Patel from Nottinghamshire. However, Derbyshire could lose their captain Leus du Pluy, whose fans include Middlesex.

The county's transfer market is currently active and Kent has run out of contract with batsman Jordan Cox, who was part of the England whiteball team, to tour Pakistan last year, weighing in on a move from Canterbury.

Surprisingly, Essex turns out to be the top contender as they look to replace Surrey's Dan Lawrence, but Hampshire is also believed to be interested, while Kent wants Cox to stay with them.