http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Amir-c76675 keen to return to cricketing world, says psychologist – Cricket News Update
The psychologist hired by the Pakistan Cricket Board for the purpose of counselling and rehabilitating banned pacer Mohammad Amir has revealed that his client is eager to resume his cricketing career “as and when possible”.
“I am very surprised that he was very positive and relaxed during the first session with me on Saturday,” said Maqbool A. Babri, a certified clinical hypnotherapist and a practicing psychotherapist, who has also worked with players such as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Umar-Akmal-c94595, Ahmed
Shahzad and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zulqarnain-Haider-c98685 prior to the 2009 World Twenty20.
“Amir realises that cricket is his profession and he wants to return to the game as and when possible,” he said. “I think he realises that he made a mistake... and since he is very passionate about his cricket I have to make him ready for that.”
Amir was singled out by former http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Wasim-Akram-c96292 at a pace camp in Lahore as a bright new talent, and went on to debut for the national side in 2009. Having accumulated 51 wickets in 14 Tests, and 25 wickets in 15 ODIs, the 20-year-old emerged as
the most promising young pacers in the Pakistan squad in 2010.
However, his rising career was brought to an abrupt and ugly halt when the left-armer found himself implicated in a spot-fixing scandal in late 2010, accused, along with teammate http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Salman-Butt-c2418, of conspiring to cheat and bowl
deliberate no-balls during a Test match against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 in Lord’s during 2010.
He was issued a 5-year ban from the sport by an International Cricket Council Tribunal in the UAE in February 2011, and later convicted and sentenced to 6 months in prison at the Southwark Crown Court in November 2011. However, Amir was released earlier
this year after serving half of his sentence, and the PCB has since expressed the intent to rehabilitate the young player and bring him back into the national squad after he has served his ban.
“He is an exceptional cricketing talent,” Babri said. “He is in good shape - in control and surprisingly positive ... But he needs to be focussed and I will help him get into the right frame of mind.”
Babri also went on to point out that Amir had been “well-groomed” as a cricketer, and was still young enough to have a shot at resurrecting his cricket career after he had served his ban, unlike Asif and Butt, whose careers are likely to be over before their
bans end.
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