“Sir Ronnie Flanagan, with the prior approval of the ICC board and the Pakistan Cricket Board, has exercised his discretion to allow Mohammad Amir to return to domestic cricket played under the auspices of the Pakistan Cricket Board with immediate effect.”
ICC released this statement on January 28, 2015. The ban on Mohammad Amir was still due, and this statement caused a sudden uproar in the cricket community. The debate on the field concerned whether or not Amir, a convicted spot-fixer, should be allowed to play cricket once more.
It was during Pakistan’s test tour to England in 2010. Everyone anticipated a close fourth Test match after Pakistan’s four-wicket victory in the third test match at the Oval. After winning the toss, the Pakistani team decided to bowl first.
In the third over, Amir bowled a no-ball on his first delivery. In the tenth over, Mohammad Asif also delivered a no-ball on his sixth delivery. For viewers, these were nothing more than petty mistakes that every bowler is likely to. But these incidents weren’t honest mistakes.
As Pakistan was about to suffer a humiliating defeat on the field on the third day of the test, detectives from Scotland Yard reached the Lord’s cricket ground. Before arriving there, another team of detectives had detained Mazhar Majeed, a sports agent in London, suspected of fraud.
The detectives informed the Pakistani management and the ICC that they were there to interview three Pakistani players based on a spot-fixing tip-off they had received from a news tabloid named News of the World.
And after a lot of off the field drama, in February 2011, the ICC banned Amir, Mohammad Asif, and Pakistan captain Salman Butt from participating in cricket-related activities for five years.
Amir was said to be influenced by his captain, Butt. A mere child taken from an unprivileged family in an obscure rural village in Pakistan was probably ill-prepared for the politics of global sport. On 3rd November 2011, after an investigation that lasted more than a year and included suspensions and bans for the cricketers and arrests for named and unnamed spot-fixers, jail terms were announced for the parties involved.
While Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif’s long-term suspensions meant they would never get to step into the cricket field again, Mohammad Amir’s young age and more lenient suspension meant he did make a comeback to international cricket in 2016. Unfortunately, though, the stresses of constant scrutiny and commentary by the board, ex-players and opposition players, media, and cricket-lovers led to Aamir quitting international cricket at the age of 28 leaving everyone wondering how a moment of poor judgement brought an end to what could have been a continuing legacy of lethal fast bowlers from Pakistan.
And so, just like these games played off the cricket field leaving behind a lasting impact, KarmaPlay is hosting a Cricket Off the Field Quiz. Grab your brains and aim to bat first and hit hard on KarmaPlay’s field!
