Mohammed Amir cleared to return with immediate effect

[Antihippy]

Eh, I tend to see it as him being a junior player who might not necessarily be naive but still got led astray by his seniors, especially salman butt who was his captain.

Of course he needs to be watched carefully but I tend to believe in rehabilitation rather than retribution. If he's fully reformed and is still a valuable player why not?

 

[hendrix]

All 19 year olds that commit crimes should be given a lenient sentence? FFS.

yes?

 

[Howe_zat]

Regardless of how good he is with the ball, he could be absolutely toxic for the dressing room atmosphere, which already isn't Pakistan's strength. Would think PCB would take that into account when considering selections. Or maybe not, because they're dumb ****s.

Shoaib Malik was captain once

 

[Kirkut]

Misbah needs to be consulted by the PCB as to whether he is comfortable to captain him or not. Pakistan may not have the bowlers right now but this team is definitely more clean from perspective of politics.

 

[andyc]

Really unhappy about this. Yes, he was young - and he still is - but you hear constantly about the kind of education these players get about the things to look out for and how to properly behave when approached with an offer. Look at what Stuart Broad had to say about it a while ago:

For Stuart Broad, interviewed on Tuesday at the launch of the Investec Test series against India, no player has an excuse to be sucked in to corruption any longer. If they are, then he feels that a life ban should be mandatory. “There’s no excuse for naivety any more,” Broad said. “We sit through the most boring of lectures saying ‘watch out for this’ or ‘watch out for that’, and are given helplines and all that sort of thing. In that respect I don’t really see why it wouldn’t be a flat out life ban.

You have to remember that for a lot of people who play cricket, the game is everything to them. You finish your career at 35 and you then hope to go into coaching or that sort of thing. If you get a life ban from cricket then what on earth are you going to do with your life? That might make you think twice about doing something silly.”

I don't believe that Amir could possibly have been ignorant to the fact that what he was doing was wrong, having played a number of Tests, ODIs and even for the U-19 team. He may be truly sorry for what he's done, but unfortunately his actions have cast and still continue to cast a massive shadow over cricket. Who can look back at what should be remembered as a remarkable win for Australia against Pakistan at Sydney and not shake their head and wonder? Who sees a massive no-ball these days and doesn't have a little voice somewhere in their head wondering if it was legitimate or not.

More than anything, it sits very uneasily with me that if his bowling average was, say, 45 after his 14 Tests instead of 29, that I really don't think he would be welcome back, and certainly not so quickly. I understand that it's a shame to waste that talent, but that was his decision at the end of the day, and I don't think he should get a pass for being a player of incredible potential. I truly believe that - as Broad mentioned in that quote above - it should be a straight life ban for any form of fixing, regardless of how small.

But whatevs, what's done is done. Only thing to do now is start planning what to write on the sign when he next plays in Sydney.

 

[hendrix]

Has Amir had the same education about matchfixing as Broad?

 

[OverratedSanity]

Hardly an excuse. Indian and Pakistani kids know more about the dangers of match fixing than anyone else. The 99 scandal is so ingrained into our memories that those lectures just aren't necessary, nor should they be.

 

[Antihippy]

Doesn't stop some Indian cricketers or administrators though, as was recently shown.

 

[andyc]

Has Amir had the same education about matchfixing as Broad?

The way things are spoken about it I've always had the impression that much of it is ICC sanctioned, so players from all countries would have it. IIRC the hotline that Broad mentions has definitely been around a while so I'd be very surprised if all teams aren't given proper training, and certainly if you've been playing in the national team for a year you would've had a fair bit of exposure to it.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Doesn't stop some Indian cricketers or administrators though, as was recently shown.

Obviously not. My point is he shouldn't get any sympathy for apparently "not knowing the pitfalls" of fixing. That's BS.

 

[G.I.Joe]

Doesn't stop some Indian cricketers or administrators though, as was recently shown.

Which cricketers?

 

[Prince EWS]

Really unhappy about this. Yes, he was young - and he still is - but you hear constantly about the kind of education these players get about the things to look out for and how to properly behave when approached with an offer. Look at what Stuart Broad had to say about it a while ago:



I don't believe that Amir could possibly have been ignorant to the fact that what he was doing was wrong, having played a number of Tests, ODIs and even for the U-19 team. He may be truly sorry for what he's done, but unfortunately his actions have cast and still continue to cast a massive shadow over cricket. Who can look back at what should be remembered as a remarkable win for Australia against Pakistan at Sydney and not shake their head and wonder? Who sees a massive no-ball these days and doesn't have a little voice somewhere in their head wondering if it was legitimate or not.

More than anything, it sits very uneasily with me that if his bowling average was, say, 45 after his 14 Tests instead of 29, that I really don't think he would be welcome back, and certainly not so quickly. I understand that it's a shame to waste that talent, but that was his decision at the end of the day, and I don't think he should get a pass for being a player of incredible potential. I truly believe that - as Broad mentioned in that quote above - it should be a straight life ban for any form of fixing, regardless of how small.

But whatevs, what's done is done. Only thing to do now is start planning what to write on the sign when he next plays in Sydney.

Yeah, best post.

I'm a big believer in second chances, but I don't see why Amir's second chance has to be in cricket. He's burnt his bridge there and should try to do something else with his life. I'd honestly be much more comfortable with a murderer who had done his time coming back to the game, for Amir's crimes were actually against cricket.

The libertarian in me wants to say that the ICC should let him play but that I'd hope no professional cricket teams would hire him.. but honestly if there's a role for the ICC in handing down suspensions at all, it's for incidents like this where the entire game is slighted. I have no sympathy at all from a cricket perspective for match- or spot-fixers. Let them explore other pursuits in life freely, but not cricket.

 

[TNT]

Cant see Amir having any problems in the change rooms, I think he will slot back in quite comfortably.

 

[Antihippy]

Obviously not. My point is he shouldn't get any sympathy for apparently "not knowing the pitfalls" of fixing. That's BS.

BTW I do think that life bans are too harsh as a punishment.

I don't think he should get sympathy for that but if he did serve out his sentence (I really think that his sentence shouldn't have been reduced but whatever) but if there's a case that he has been rehabilitated he should be given a chance afterwards. Of course if any team or player has distrust playing with him it will be entirely his fault for sowing those seeds of distrust in the first place. Still, I don't see why he shouldn't be given the chance to forge a new career in cricket after all that.

Which cricketers?

Sreesnath and all that.

 

[Xuhaib]

Apparently he gets to play a grade II tournament next month which is not an offical first class tournament but it is organized by PCB and quite a few FC cricketers play in it so by the time his offical ban ends he would have played 8-10 three day games.

 

[Gnske]

Should never have been let back in tbh, a life ban should have been the trick.

I really really hope he doesn't just waltz back into the side, has to do more than earn it given he shouldn't even have this opportunity to begin with. The whole excuse of him being young and talented is BS to be frank, he was old enough to know just how downright stupid and illegal his acts were.

 

[morgieb]

Anyway, my position with the ban in the first place is kinda like what Captain said a few months - he probably didn't deserve a life ban, but it was what cricket needed.

 

[Antihippy]

Also in terms of getting off lightly shane warne and mark waugh never really should have been let off that easily either.

 

[morgieb]

I will add though that I feel that jail time may be a more effective deterrant than a life ban. Though given Amir's age, that might not necessary apply to him....

 

[G.I.Joe]

Sreesnath and all that.

Ah, k. I thought I'd missed something more recent.