Quotes from Mohammad Amir

I got so famous with so many new people entering my life. You can imagine how it was for an 18-year-old who was playing effortlessly and savouring every moment of my success. I had lost all sense of reality.

When I first met Salman Butt, he was a senior player, and he was a star for Pakistan, and I was a junior, but he had a very good image amongst the juniors. It wasn't that he was only nice to me: he was close to all the juniors, cracking jokes and socialising with them and being pleasant to them.

I didn't pick up a ball for three years. It was very depressing for me because, as a professional, it's very difficult when you can't use the facilities, play cricket; you can't even touch the ball, so what are you going to do then?

My favourite ground is The Oval because I have a lot of memories on that ground.

I love people who succeed in life overcoming various odds.

I never challenged the ICC verdict. This means I accepted my punishment. It is mentioned in Islamic law that you have got to be punished if you commit a mistake. What is important is that I have learnt my lesson.

There are two teams against whom my energy is always very high: India and Australia.

I come from a village, Changa Bangyaal. It is a very beautiful village. I am from a poor family. Right from the beginning, I always had a great deal of love for cricket.

Although I was good at my studies, I also thought to myself that I should play cricket as well. And when the cricket team that consisted of the boys from our village used to play, I was able to play with the team that had older players.