Interview: Pakistan's Mohammad Amir ready to claim redemption

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  • Pakistan's Mohammad Amir had the cricket world at his feet in 2010, before involvement in spot-fixing put his career on hold.

    The year was 2010. An exciting teenager called Mohammad Amir had just started to be categorised as a superstar, labelled the next big thing in world cricket after rattling some of the world’s top batsmen with his pace and bounce.

    He had been named joint man of the series for Pakistan against hosts England and had taken a six-wicket haul in the Lord’s Test which took his tally to 51 wickets in 14 Tests. He also had 25 scalps in 15 one-dayers, while 23 batsmen fell prey to him in his 18 T20Is.

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    But just as it looked that he was on course to touch greatness, the unthinkable happened. The 18-year-old clean-bowled himself; along with skipper Salman Butt and senior bowler Mohammad Asif, Amir was busted for ‘spot-fixing’.

    The hearings dragged on and the final punishment came after more than a year when in November 2011, the trio were convicted at Southwark Crown Court in London.

    Amir, who pleaded guilty, was just a teenager and the reality hit him hard; he often broke into tears during hearings. He was no longer the superstar, just an 18-year-old kid who was away from his family and was stepping into the unknown and unwanted life of a young offenders’ institute.

    He was finally released in February 2012 after serving half of his six-month punishment behind the bars and continued his rehabilitation with help of International Cricket Council (ICC) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

    But this week, after 51 months in exile, Amir has finally received news he had been praying for as the ICC approved new anti-corruption codes that allow banned player to return to domestic cricket after agreement from the ICC Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) chairman Ronnie Flanagan, with consent of relevant national cricket boards and approval of the ICC Board.

    The left-arm pacer can now return to domestic cricket by January 2015, subject to approval from ICC, and the man himself cannot wait to get back to playing competitively – having been helped through his ban by an array of supporters.

    “It’s very big news for me  and I’m positive about returning to domestic cricket, hopefully in January. I just cannot wait to play competitive cricket again because there is frustration of more than four years which I want to take out through my bowling,” Amir told Sport360.

    “The time out on the sidelines has been really tough for me. There was a time when I saw the heights of international cricket and a time when I came down crushing onto the floor. In such times, a person often loses hope but I was lucky enough to have my lawyers Gareth Pierce and Sajida Malik around me who provided guidance in that dark phase of my life while my family, friends and former England captain Michael Atherton also helped me a lot.

    “Atherton has played a very positive role in this whole episode, I just can’t thank him with words.”

    “Atherton backed me saying that I’ve taken the right decision by choosing to speak truth. He told me that the path from there on would be a bit hard but I should stick to the decision that I’ve taken. His words motivated me a lot because there was a person on foreign soil who was guiding me despite the mistake I had committed.

    “The interactions I had with him made me feel at a bit more ease while he continued writing and speaking for me on different forums which improved my case. Atherton has certainly played a very positive role for me in this whole episode and I just can’t thank him with words.”

    While Atherton was a somewhat unlikely source of help, former PCB chairman Najam Sethi was a more familiar face to back Amir, who remains thankful for the work he did in taking up the case again with ICC – a move that ultimately led to changes being fast-tracked.

    “I’m thankful to Mr Sethi, PCB and ICC who all have helped me in my rehabilitation and in my case,” Amir says. “This difficult journey wouldn’t have been possible without their support.

    Now at 22-years-old, Amir is eager to return as a better player on the field and more importantly a better human being.

    “I told my lawyer from the first day that I will accept my mistake, speak out truth and won’t hide anything,” Amir recalls. “After spilling out the truth, I felt very light because if you have committed a mistake, you cannot carry it with you for rest of your life and somehow need to get over it and I felt it was best for me to plead guilty.

    “Amir will return as better person and a better overall cricketer than ever before. This period has taught many things about the world which I wouldn’t have known otherwise. How people run after you when your graph is high and how even your close ones leaves you in troubled times.”

    Playing in his maiden international tournament, Amir helped Pakistan become World Twenty20 Champions in 2009, picking up a wicket in his first over on six occasions out of seven matches – including the all-important final against Sri Lanka.

    The early signs were enough to suggest that he belonged to international cricket and the left-arm pacer went on to enhance his reputation from there on, clocking over 144 km/h with ease. Pakistan legend Wasim Akram even claimed that Amir was better than him at the age of 18 – a compliment only few could imagine coming from the Sultan of Swing.

    There appears to be a general soft spot for Amir all over the world, with Pakistani and neutral fans alike looking forward to seeing the skinny pacer with silky long hair running ferociously towards the world’s finest batsmen.

    Asked whether he would be able to bowl the way he used to back in 2009-10 and return as a genuine match-winner again, Amir shows no signs that his former teenage confidence has evaporated.

    “People have high hopes from me because of my track record for Pakistan. Nobody can take away the God-gifted ability which I have except God himself so I know that I only need to keep myself fit to be able make a successful return.”

    The World T20 winner explained that he continued his training in a local park near his residence in Lahore and used to bowl in the nets as well under guidance from his club mentor Asif Bajwa. A return to domestic cricket in Pakistan now appears certain, but the former NBP bowler has not yet decided on where he will play.

     “During all this time I have been training regularly with a hope to return to the international arena. I’d been training and bowling in a local park of late because I’m not allowed to use PCB facilities, while I’ve increased the duration of my training in last three weeks.

    “I’ve several offers regarding domestic cricket but I’m weighing up all options by discussing it with my elders. Once I’ve entered domestic cricket, my goal will be to perform and make a quick comeback into Pakistan team on basis of strong performances and win matches for my country again.”

     “If you’ve made a mistake, you can’t carry it with you for rest of your life .”

    That international return could well come next October and, as is often the case, the sporting script-writers may have delivered another award-winning plot. Five years after his last Test match came at Lord’s, England could be Amir’s first opponents when they take on Pakistan in the UAE, one month after his ban is lifted.

    Discussing the prospect of returning to cricket is guaranteed to raise a smile on the face of Amir; it will not be long now until that smile spreads to the faces of Pakistani cricket fans.

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