Amir has 303 wickets so far in T20 and last played in 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 United Arab Emirates, where he won the title with his New York Strikers team with five wickets and an economy rate of 7.85. In the PSL last year, he was the leading wicket-taker for Karachi Kings, along with Imad Wasim.

“And in a world where player availability is not always guaranteed due to international commitments, the fact that he no longer plays for Pakistan means that call-ups to 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 contributing to what we hope and expect to be a successful campaign.”

Amir said he was also looking forward to turning Vipers into a top team next season.

“The dressing room has some very talented and experienced players like Alex Hales, Colin Munro and Sheldon Cottrell, and some interesting new faces, and I’m looking forward to playing with my Pakistani teammates Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan and Azam Khan.” he said in the statement.

“I always enjoy playing in the UAE because the cricket fans always support the Pakistani players and encourage us. I know the local conditions because I have played a lot of cricket there, so that will be an advantage for me. I can’t wait to come . to Dubai and meet the team and all the incredible coaching staff, including Carl Crowe, who I worked with at the T10 tournament last month.”

The second season of ILT20 begins on January 19 and Vipers’ first match will be against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders on January 21 in Dubai.