LAHORE: Left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Amir will not play the third one-day international against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Tuesday.

“Amir is returning Pakistan today due to serious illness of his mother. The team management has allowed him to travel back home,” a statement released by the Board said.

On Sunday, Azhar Ali-led Pakistan clinched the three-match ODI series by beating the West Indies in the second ODI in Sharjah by 59 runs. They had won the first game, too, by 111 runs at the same venue on Friday.

Amir picked up a wicket in each of the two matches.

Pakistan, who play the last ODI in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday (tomorrow), need to beat the West Indies 3-0 to climb one rank to eighth, displacing their opponents [currently eighth] to ninth.

Both teams are fighting to get an automatic place in the 2019 World Cup.

Hosts England and the seven highest-ranked sides in the one-day rankings on September 30 next year will qualify directly for the World Cup.

The bottom four teams in the standings will be joined by the top six Associate sides in a 10-team qualifying round in 2018 from where two teams will qualify.