LAHORE: Cricketer Mohammad Amir returned home early Sunday after his release from a British prison, an AFP reporter said.
Amir was one of three Pakistan players jailed by a judge in London in November over their roles in a plan to bowl deliberate no-balls during a Test against England at Lord's in August 2010.
The 19-year-old is also serving a five-year ban imposed by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Amir arrived at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore from London at 4:35 am local time (2300 GMT) and headed straight for his home in the Defence Housing Authority without speaking to media, an AFP reporter said.
Amir's family members also refused to speak to media. Television footage showed Amir sitting in a white car as the vehicle entered his residence.
Former Test captain Salman Butt was also sentenced to two and a half years for being the “orchestrator” of the scam, while seamer Mohammad Asif received a 12-month prison term for bowling a fraudulent no-ball.
The London-based sports agent Mazhar Majeed who organised the scam was jailed for two years and eight months.
All three players are serving five-year ICC bans.
The scandal emerged as a result of an undercover investigation by the now defunct British tabloid the News of the World.
Both Butt and Amir had appealed against their sentences rejected in November, with England's top judge saying they had “betrayed” their country.
Last month, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Zaka Ashraf held out the prospect of Amir returning to international cricket once his jail term and ICC ban had been completed.
Before the scandal, left-arm paceman Amir had made a huge impact with his on-field performances. He took 51 wickets in 14 Tests, including seven at Leeds in 2010 as Pakistan beat Australia for the first time in 15 years.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly mentioned News of the World as News of a World. The error is regretted.
COMMENTS (25)
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welcome u back to cricket world. i hope that aamir wl play soon in international cricket match. may god bless u.superb cricketer i have ever seen
He is not hero any more but is zero. I will request NAB to start criminal investigation against this traitor.
He should not be allowed to play ever, his ban should be for life, even the other two, when they return home after serving their sentences, should be banned. This will serve as a lesson to any other player who thinks about cheating again. Your sympathy for him is truly a wonder, ignorance and illiteracy is what is cause of the downfall of this great country. We vote for the truly corrupt and then cry when they do what they do best.You will never learn.
Play with fire and eventually you'll get burnt. Hopefully Amir has learnt his lesson - the other two (Butt and Asif) really have no excuse. And PCB should take greater responsibility in guiding young players - especially those from poorer, uneducated backgrounds - about the legal aspects of playing cricket professionally at this level. But unfortunately corruption is so deeply rooted in our mentality and system that it's hardly viewed as something wrong to do - the general attitude is that "tough luck if you get caught"
Amir should probably wait till 2015, before he can play for Pakistan again. He can complete his studies in the meantime.
@ Hassan, Cant you see , it is Mohammad Amir
He should be allowed to play atleast domestic cricket. He was too young and was misled by his seniors.
He should be allowed to play only if he names other accomplices, returns all corruption money, publicaly appologizes and promises not to do it again.
"The scandal emerged as a result of an undercover investigation by the now defunct British tabloid the News of a World." Please correct it.
It was News of the world not News of a World
If he repays corruption money he should be allowed to play. Jail punishment only accounts for cheating corruption money still recoverable
@ouch: " To me these two are similar although traffic violations are of more severe consequences than spot fixing"
So you are willing to have a player who cheats against you, me, the supporters and the country!! This is such a hopeless comment that I shouldn't even be replying. No wonder there is a culture of corruption in Pakistan. What can you reply to this? to somebody who thinks its right for a player to cheat against the country, at least acknowledge he did something wrong!
Don't just look at what he did (bowled a no-ball), look at the broader picture, he cheated on all of us, he defamed the name of Pakistan, how can you possibly compare this with running a traffic light???
@ouch: Get your details right MAZHAR MAJEED STATED that the ASIA CUP 2010 matchbetween pakistan and srilanka was fixed as well
@Faraz: bowling a few no-balls doesn't warrant a life time ban on your career just like a few traffic violations are not reason enough to put a life-time ban on a driver's license. To me these two are similar although traffic violations are of more severe consequences than spot fixing. Appreciate rule of law but a bazooka is for monsters, not a small fish.
Mohammad Amir is not a bad person and should not be regarded as such. He was pressurised by senior members of the team, men who should have known better, into doing something that was wrong. How many of us could put our hands on our hearts and honestly say we would be able to stand out against such pressure from older men in positions of authority? He is a brilliant young cricketer and it would be a tragedy for him, the game and for Pakistan if he were not allowed to play for his country again. The world of cricket will be a poorer place until he is once more permitted to display his cricketing genius. I am certain that if he is given that chance, he will make his country, his family and his friends proud of him.
welcome home. I wish you very best of luck for the rest of your cricket life and hope you'll find a way back to international cricket
Let him come back. He served his sentence, payed for it. Now please PCB and ICC should let him play again
Is there anyway that he can play for Pakistan again??
Its not Aamir in the picture.....
Now there will be at least one cricketer in Pakistan who understands the meaning of the phrase "rule of law"
he has hopefully learned his lesson in a painful way. He doesnt need to provide fodder for the media. Please leave him alone .