Raring to return: Amir and cricket’s romance set to resume

Changes in ICC’s codes mean he can start playing domestic cricket before end of ban

KARACHI: Back in 2010, 18-year-old sensation Muhammad Amir had the world under his feet. The teenager was competing with the best in the business and coming out on top. He had just taken six wickets against England at Lords. But then, it all came crashing down.

Amir was charged a few months later for having deliberately bowled no balls in a plan masterminded by skipper Salman Butt and senior bowler Muhammad Asif along with bookie Mazhar Majeed in the same series in which he was jointly awarded the man of the match.

Wasim Akram’s heir-apparent had helped Pakistan to World Twenty triumph in 2009 at the beginning of his career and then went on to pick 51 wickets in Tests, 25 in ODIs and 18 in T20Is but a career that had promised dizzying heights was about to have its wings chopped off right after take-off.

The left-arm pacer pleaded guilty of spot fixing and was sentenced to six months in prison and given a five-year ban from the game he loved so much.

However, all the doom and gloom has now started to shed away with the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) board approving new anti-corruption codes which come into immediate effect. The changes allow banned players to return to domestic cricket under ‘special circumstances’ before the end of their ban.

For a player to return to domestic competition before the end of his ban, he would need the approval of the ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ASCU) Chairman, along with the consent of the ICC and the relevant national cricket board.

“The revised code makes provisions for a banned player to gain an early return to domestic cricket under certain circumstances” said ICC Chairman N Srinivasan. “When exercising his discretionary powers in this regard, however, the chairman of the ACSU will consider a number of factors, including the level of remorse shown by the player, his/her cooperation with the ACSU’s education programme and/or if the player has helped the ACSU by disclosing all information that, in turn, has helped it to enforce the Anti-Corruption Code in respect of others engaged in corruption conduct.”

Amir itching to unleash himself

The move has understandably delighted Amir, whose ban was initially set to end in September 2015, and the player is raring to go out and play competitive cricket once again.

“I’ve suffered a lot in all these years. There is a fire burning in me and now I just want to go and unleash all that anger through my bowling,” Amir told The Express Tribune. “In the last few months, I’ve trained regularly to keep myself in shape in the hope of playing again soon. There are several offers for me on the table but I’ll make a decision after consulting my elders when I officially resume domestic cricket.”

Amir vowed to come back stronger than ever before, stressing that the time he has been forced to spend off the field has helped him grow into a man. “I want to make a grand comeback into international cricket and surely I’ll be a better cricketer than I was before,” he said. “My family, friends and lawyers Gareth Pierce and Sajida Malik stood by me in the tough times and I’m really thankful to them,” he added. “I’m also thankful to the PCB, especially Najam Sethi because he took up my case again and it was fast-tracked from there on, while the ICC also helped me in my rehabilitation. It couldn’t have been possible without all this support and it’s a day of celebration for me.”

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