Board and management on same page regarding Amir: Younis

LAHORE: Chances of Mohammad Amir returning to the game of cricket and representing Pakistan have become bright after Head Coach Waqar Younis on Thursday said the board and management are on the same page regarding the fast-bowler.

Speaking at a joint press conference with PCB Chairman Shahryar Khan here, he said Amir had proved his mettle and has also served his sentence.

Mohammad Amir was one of the accused in the spot-fixing scandal and was sentenced for his part in fixing elements of the August 2010 Test match against England at Lord's.

Amir then 19, was sentenced to serve six months in a young offenders institute and a five-year ban on playing cricket.

Following the expiration of the ban in September 2015, Amir formally apologized to his fans and vowed to make a fresh start.

Speaking to the media today, Waqar said: “We have (had) a detailed discussion and we are at the same page that if (Amir) has completed his punishment then he deserves to return to the community and enhance his profession”.

“I think if Amir has got permission for the Bangladesh Premier League then it’s good and he has proved that he is on the right track, so it’s our duty to give him another chance.”

Amir is currently playing in the Twenty20 league in Bangladesh.

“It seems that (Amir’s) performance in the last four, five months is very good and he is knocking at the door to be considered,” Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shahryar Khan told reporters.

“We will tell him that your attitude should be correct because people will be looking at your behaviour,” he added.

Since his return, Amir -- regarded as hot property in international cricket at the time of his ban -- has taken 22 wickets in the Grade II tournament before capturing an impressive 34 in the four qualifying matches of the Quaid-e-Azam trophy.

He then grabbed 17 wickets in Pakistan’s premier first-class tournament, the Quaid-e-Azam trophy.

Amir has also notched four half centuries in the two events, highlighting his potential as an all-rounder.

Pakistan’s former Twenty20 captain Mohammad Hafeez last month became the first player to publicly opposed Amir’s return, saying his inclusion will hurt Pakistan team’s image–AFP/Geo