Pakistan left-arm bowler Muhammad Amir may have started off the tour of England with a remarkable return as he took three wickets against Somerset, however, it seems his past will continue to haunt him.
As many praised the bowler for his outstanding performance, an unforgiving BBC Sports reported the match day’s summary with the headline: “Spot-fixer Amir takes three wickets on return.”
Convicted spot-fixer Mohammad Amir was in the wickets as he returned to first-class crickethttps://t.co/4t8K6885Y0 pic.twitter.com/8EkOkvO034
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 4, 2016
Amir humiliates batsmen on England return
The headline did not settle well with most as Twitter users criticised BBC Sports for being 'unethical' and 'biased' towards the Pakistani pacer:
https://twitter.com/Shaqxii/status/750136330387152896
@BBCSport Shame on you and your journalism ethics, could've come with better headline than "Spot Fixer Amir return".. Disgusted!
— Ayman Awan (@ayman_awan) July 5, 2016
That headline from @BBCSport 😕
— Muneeb Farrukh (@Muneeb313_) July 5, 2016
sign of things to come! #SOMvPAK #Amir pic.twitter.com/BqoGtW2izx
Dear @BBCSport , get some life. Why can't you digest the talent of Amir?
— Oham (@OhamPluss) July 5, 2016
https://twitter.com/nambooThree/status/750113103933640705
https://twitter.com/Hi_Paanch/status/750078052470812673
https://twitter.com/its_tabrez_4u/status/750091951815417856
https://twitter.com/ElDunne1/status/750066280854614017
Poor. Absolute abyss of english media. Constant reference of amir's conviction won't make England's struggle against him anyeasier
— Afzal Rashid (@afzalrashid85) July 4, 2016
2 weeks later
— Hamza (@realhamzakhan) July 4, 2016
Convicted spot-fixer Mohammad Amir takes a 10-wicket haul as he returned to first-class cricket. https://t.co/kaxVxrwPA7
Hey bbc ! His full name is Mohammad Amir, NOT convicted Spot - fixer Mohammad amir. please correct it. Regards
— H. (@hashkhashmi) July 5, 2016
Testing return: Salman backs Amir to succeed in England
Even fellow cricketers criticised BBC’s headline:
Exactly and you don't expect this from likes of @BBC . There are enough tabloids around !! https://t.co/InzLMNuEr3
— Muhammad Wasim (@MuhammadWasim77) July 5, 2016
The guy performs well and that's the best headline BBC sport could come up with? Poor from BBC sport. #muppets pic.twitter.com/FTGWvuZ4bP
— Ravi Bopara (@ravibopara) July 4, 2016
Lord's return a dream come true, says Amir
Amir took three for 36 in 11 overs against Somerset, including the wicket of former England opener Marcus Trescothick, as he served a notice he could be a threat in the upcoming Test series against England.
Later, Trescothick warned England's batsmen to expect a tough time in the middle facing Amir.
Here are @iamamirofficial's two wickets this morning - not the worst balls ever bowled! #SOMvPAKhttps://t.co/0AnDY3zvt2
— Somerset Cricket 🏆 (@SomersetCCC) July 4, 2016
"You get a lot of bowlers who swing it quite early, but he [Amir] was swinging it late and as it was coming down the pitch you were almost guessing whether it was an inswinger or whether it was one of the straight ones," he said.
"On that performance yes he will cause problems for England," he added.
On Monday, England Test captain Alastair Cook also warned the left-armer to expect a hostile reception from fans when he takes to the pitch at Lord’s for the first Test on July 14.
The 24-year-old was previously convicted of spot-fixing on the same venue in 2010 and was subsequently banned from the sport for five years. He made an international comeback earlier this year against New Zealand after serving his time.
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