Forgiving Amir

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is considering the inclusion of Mohammad Amir to the national team with the head coach backing the move. This comes after Pakistan’s poor show in limited-overs cricket in recent times, with the PCB realising that the time for cosmetic changes to the national team is over. Pakistan need all the talent at their disposal to have a decent shot at the World Twenty20 title. At the same time, there is much unease, even outright opposition from some circles, to Amir’s return to national colours, with Mohammad Hafeez stating that he does not want to share a dressing-room with him. The debate here is about whether Amir, who has served a five-year ban on account of his role in the 2010 spot-fixing saga, should be allowed to play for the national team, given his role in the scandal and the reluctance of the likes of Hafeez to play with him.

Amir was supposed to carry on the legacy of Pakistan’s fast bowling greats. There were huge expectations associated with him and the then 18-year-old proved he was up to the challenge. But Amir’s fairytale was cut short — not by a demon, but by the greedy and rather naive villain inside him. We need to remember, however, that he was the first one of the spot-fixing trio to admit guilt and besides serving a ban from cricket, also spent time in an offenders’ institute. It is now time to move on. If Amir can prove that he is ready for the big stage, there is no reason why he cannot be given a second chance. The PCB chairman has made a good point — if Amir becomes part of the national team, he has to show humility. He should realise that any second chance accorded to him will not just be on account of the team needing him. This will be due to the Pakistani public at large willing to forgive him. While some of his prospective team-mates need to set aside their hard stance on playing with him, Amir’s return is something that the PCB should seriously consider.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th,  2015.

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