http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 Cricket: The Mohammad Amir Syndrome – an irresponsible prodigy
Just when Pakistan cricket could not afford any more controversies, banned left-arm pacer, Mohammad Amir, decided to contribute his share of embarrassing moments to the game of cricket by violating the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) five-year ban.
The prodigy played a game for a village team in English, despite being prohibited from playing in all forms of cricket.
Apparently he stirred up a hornet’s nest by stepping foot on the field as the match was a properly sanctioned event, which according to the terms of his ban, was off limits for him.
Perhaps Amir thought that a match below the radar would not grab public attention, however, after his participation in the match, which probably would have never been noticed, has now come under the spotlight.
Amir, who scored 60 runs and then took 4 wickets while playing for Addington in the division one game, is now facing a possible extension in his five-year ban which he previously received for his involvement in spot-fixing during Pakistan’s tour of England
in the summer of 2010.
One finds it extremely ironic and difficult to believe that Amir absolutely had no idea if the game was a private event or an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) sanctioned fixture.
The 19-year-old Amir, needed to be more cautious after already being warned by the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 for playing a domestic match in Rawalpindi. After the incident the ICC looked into the matter and cautioned the player to stay away from any cricket tournament.
Later the cricket body clarified that, the banned players could only work as cricket experts or commentators on sports channels but cannot play in any event.
Other than Amir, former Test skipper Salman Butt and pacer Mohammad Asif are also facing bans for ten and seven years respectively.
In Amir’s particular case, the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/David-Stanley-Steele-c53230, it is not as if he has made a small mistake and can simply brush it off.
The terms of the ban are quite clear. The trio cannot play any competitive cricketing event. It is high time that the lanky bowler realizes that the support that he enjoys among the Pakistani masses and abroad will rapidly fade away if he keeps breaking
the rules.
Even when the ICC was passing its verdict on the players, the general feeling was that Amir should be given a minimal punishment because of his young age and enormous talent.
Even the chief of the ICC, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Haroon-Lorgat-c61719, felt that had there been any other option Amir might have been given a shorter ban.
However, according to the ICC anti-corruption rules, a five-year ban is the minimum for a player indicted in the crime of “fixing”.
Amir needs some serious counseling which will help him comprehend the nature of the predicament that he is in right now. He should clean up his act and look to resume his career after five years, so as to redeem his lost glory in the world of cricket.
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