Pakistan duo snub training camp over Amir

Sport360 staff 18:12 24/12/2015
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  • Amir, now 23, wants to resume his international career.

    Senior Pakistan Cricket stars Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar Ali have decided to snub the team’s training camp ahead of the upcoming tour of New Zealand due to the return of fast-bowler Mohammad Amir to the international fold, Sport360 understands.

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has to solve the problem of a divided national team following Amir’s inclusion in the training camp, five years on from the paceman’s role in the well-documented spot-fixing scandal which damaged the country’s cricketing integrity.

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    Both Hafeez and Azhar, important players in the batting and bowling departments, travelled to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore but only opted to complete their fitness tests and decided against joining the training camp because of Amir’s attendance.

    It should be mentioned that the duo had made it clear to the team management, selection committee and the PCB hierarchy that there was no way they would tolerate sharing the dressing room with the 23-year-old left-armer again, who is now “eligible” for selection according to the PCB.

    In spite of their warning over the sensitive issue, the stakeholders decided to recall Amir for the pre-tour get-together after his impressive performances in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and domestic cricket.

    There is still a sense of betrayal among several players but only Hafeez and Azhar have been vocal about it.

    Amir has impressed in the BPL for Chittagong Vikings.

    T20 captain Shahid Afridi and spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed tried to convince the two players to find a solution to their issues but their efforts proved futile.

    “Azhar and Hafeez will not join the camp while Amir is present, no matter if it goes on for days – they will stand their ground,” an official close to the players revealed.

    “They were asked to resolve the issue but both decided not to speak about it with their team-mates and team officials. Both feel that the humiliation the Pakistan team faced in 2010 because of Amir, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif is beyond imagination and the scars haven’t healed.”

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