Mohammad Amir has described himself as “seriously lucky” to be making his Test comeback this summer and says he agrees with the England captain, Alastair Cook, that cricketers found guilty of fixing should be banned from the sport for life.
Amir, who served a five‑year suspension and spent time in a young offenders’ institute for his role in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal, is part of the Pakistan squad who arrived in England on Saturday before the four-Test series that starts at Lord’s – the scene of the crime – on 14 July.
Despite having played limited-overs cricket for Pakistan since the start of the year, including the ICC World Twenty20 in India, Amir believes that the first Test with England represents his true return to the sport; that it will happen at the ground where he, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif were the subject of a tabloid sting by the now defunct News of the World six years ago, is a “blessing”.
“To be honest, I never thought about my comeback and I feel seriously lucky to be back in the role to play Test cricket again,” Amir, 24, said in Lahore before the team’s departure for England. “You call it a coincidence or whatever but for me it is a blessing that I am restarting at Lord’s.
“I may have registered my comeback months ago but Test cricket is actual cricket; this is my real comeback. I won’t say that I have forgotten my past and those incidents won’t come back to haunt me, but I am looking at it positively. I want to replace the past with a better future.”
Amir, who became the youngest bowler to pass 50 wickets when recording a career-best six for 84 in the innings defeat against England six years ago, added: “I want to get my name on the Lord’s honours board again to win back the love and support in England.”
While Butt and Asif, who also spent time in prison, have not returned to international cricket since their bans expired, Amir, the only one of the three to plead guilty during the criminal case, has been welcomed back more readily with Dave Richardson, chief executive of the International Cricket Council, describing the player’s rehabilitation as a “good thing” for the sport.
Cook, one of four current England players to feature in the 2010 Lord’s Test, recently stated that he has no issues facing the left-armer this summer, with the punishment having been served, but retains the belief that cricketers found guilty of corruption should be thrown out of the sport for good. Amir, it transpires, is in agreement. He said: “If anyone still hasn’t learned a lesson from our cases, then he will be the biggest fool. Whatever happened with us and the way our careers went down, I think this is the biggest example for everyone.
“Imagine what we could have achieved in those lost years. I had missed five of the best years of my life and if I was still playing, everyone would know where I would have been standing right now.
“If this [corruption] is still happening it is really alarming and there is a serious problem in the dignity of the player. I think the player must alone be blamed and nobody can help this. I think players themselves have to be honest. I fully back what Cook has said the other day, that fixers should be banned for life.”
Pakistan begin their tour with a two‑week training camp in Southampton before two three-day warmup games against Somerset and Sussex, starting in Taunton on 3 July. The squad have been told to provide their board with details of all friends, family and associates they intend to spend time with in England, while Amir has been spoken to about his conduct and the specific challenges he may face.
At his comeback in New Zealand in January a stadium announcer was reprimanded for using the sound of a cash register over the loud speaker, with home supporters also reported to have waved money at him. While the Lord’s crowd is unlikely to be so hostile, the remainder of the series is being played at the more raucous venues of Edgbaston, Old Trafford and The Oval, where not everything said to him will be polite.
On the subject of crowd issues, Amir said: “In the ground the crowd shouts wherever you go, but as a professional it’s my duty to focus on the game. So naturally when I am on the ground, my utmost focus is on cricket and this is what I will be doing in England as well.
“Sledging is a part of the game and it isn’t new in cricket and I have this in my mind. But I don’t want to lose my focus; I would rather think about my performance. With a positive frame of mind, such negative things will be irrelevant.”
