Text of Amir’s statement in court

Mohammad Amir made an impassioned statement admitting his guilt and remorse for being involved in spot fixing. Here is the teenager’s statement in full. First I want to apologise to Pakistan and to everyone that cricket is important to. I do know how much damage this has done to the game, a game which I love more than anything else in the world.
The best day of my life was when I was selected to play for Pakistan. I got my shirt, number 90, the night before, I put it on and I stood in front of the mirror for a very long time. I could not believe that I was playing for Pakistan. If I could have, I would have slept in it but I didn’t want to ruin the shirt. That moment was my dream. As soon as I began to realise that actually I could play well, when I was 13, my only dream was to play cricket for Pakistan. I did decide many months ago that I wanted to admit that I deliberately threw two no balls at the Lord’s Test last summer. But I know this was very late and I want to apologise for not saying it before. I didn’t find the courage to do it at the beginning, and I know very well that made everything much more difficult.
Last year was the most amazing year of my life but also it was the worst year. I got myself into a situation that I didn’t understand. I panicked and did the wrong thing. I don’t want to blame anyone else. I didn’t want money at all, I didn’t bowl the no balls because of money. I got trapped and in the end it was because of my own stupidity. My dream was to be the best cricketer in the world. I’m a competitive sportsman and those two no balls were the only moments in my cricketing life where I have not performed to the very best of my ability. And they were not moments I felt happy to be part of.
What I loved about the game was not the recognition or reward, what I loved was just the playing. I do not know if cricket will ever want me again. I can understand why it would not. As difficult as this past year has been, and in particularly today, I am still relieved to have admitted what I have done. I don’t know what my future holds but I would like to say I have learnt a very hard lesson. I am grateful to those people who have been forgiving when I have let them down. Some of them have been the people I have most admired all my life.
I apologise to everyone for what I did, and that I did not accept responsibility earlier. I want to apologise to my family as well for the distress I have caused then in this past year. I would like to say to the court that I respect any decision the court will make. I accept I have done wrong and that there were other things I could have done and should have done in the circumstances I found myself in.”