Azhar, Hafeez will have to support Amir 'unconditionally': PCB chairman

Published December 26, 2015
The row over the inclusion of tainted paceman Mohammad Amir in a training camp has been resolved. — AFP
The row over the inclusion of tainted paceman Mohammad Amir in a training camp has been resolved. — AFP

LAHORE: Pakistan's cricket chief said Saturday that a row over the inclusion of tainted paceman Mohammad Amir in a training camp had been resolved and the two objecting players had returned.

Former T20 captain Mohammad Hafeez and current one-day captain Azhar Ali had boycotted the camp on Thursday, refusing to train alongside Amir, who was jailed in 2011 for spot-fixing.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan said Hafeez and Ali had now joined the camp.

“The matter has been resolved,” Khan told reporters.

“Both listened to me and agreed to join the camp unconditionally and will have to support Amir when he returns to the team.”

The training camp is staged to select the squad for next month's tour of New Zealand where Pakistan play three one-day and as many T20 internationals.

Hafeez, who in November spoke publicly against Amir, said he forgave him but was sticking to principle.

“My stance was based on principle and it was portrayed in a wrong sense,” Hafeez told reporters.

“My stance is the same against all players who stained Pakistan's image through corruption.

“It's my right to raise my voice, which I did, and I will do everything in my capacity to fight corruption,” said Hafeez.

“My stance is that all corrupt players should not be given another chance to represent Pakistan.”

Amir, then Test captain Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif were charged with accepting money in exchange for arranging deliberate no-balls during a Test match at Lord's in England in 2010.

The three players and their agent Mazhar Majeed were jailed by a British court in 2011. Amir, Butt and Asif were also banned from cricket for five years.

But in September this year the International Cricket Council lifted sanctions against the three players. Amir's ban was relaxed in January this year and he was allowed to play domestic matches.

At the time of the ban, Amir was tipped as one of the most talented fast bowlers in the world.

Since his return, he has taken 22 wickets in four non first-class games, while his tally of wickets in the qualifying rounds of the Quaid-e-Azam trophy stood at 34.

He also took 14 wickets in 11 Bangladesh premier league matches, forcing the selectors to chose him for the camp.

The Pakistan players are training ahead of the national side's upcoming tour of New Zealand, where they will play three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches.

Butt and Asif will feature in the national one-day tournament next month, their first appearance in domestic matches since their ban expired.

PCB had given them a rehabilitation programme to undergo before qualifying for national selection — a process Amir has already completed.

Opinion

Who bears the cost?

Who bears the cost?

This small window of low inflation should compel a rethink of how the authorities and employers understand the average household’s

Editorial

Internet restrictions
Updated 23 Dec, 2024

Internet restrictions

Notion that Pakistan enjoys unprecedented freedom of expression difficult to reconcile with the reality of restrictions.
Bangladesh reset
23 Dec, 2024

Bangladesh reset

THE vibes were positive during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent meeting with Bangladesh interim leader Dr...
Leaving home
23 Dec, 2024

Leaving home

FROM asylum seekers to economic migrants, the continuing exodus from Pakistan shows mass disillusionment with the...
Military convictions
Updated 22 Dec, 2024

Military convictions

Pakistan’s democracy, still finding its feet, cannot afford such compromises on core democratic values.
Need for talks
22 Dec, 2024

Need for talks

FOR a long time now, the country has been in the grip of relentless political uncertainty, featuring the...
Vulnerable vaccinators
22 Dec, 2024

Vulnerable vaccinators

THE campaign to eradicate polio from Pakistan cannot succeed unless the safety of vaccinators and security personnel...