Former Pakistan cricketer, Basit Ali has called the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to intervene in order to reduce the ban on cricketer, Mohammad Amir. Amir is currently serving a 5-year ban from any form of cricket for his role in the spot-fixing incident which shook cricket in 2010. The now defunct ‘News of the World’ had exposed the murky underground of cricket during Pakistan’s tour of England in 2010.
In an interview, Basit Ali came to the support of the young bowler claiming that he had changed as a person ever since the incident. “I have talked to Amir recently and he is a completely changed person now. He has accepted his wrong doings and got the punishment (for spot-fixing) by serving his time in jail and away from cricket. I appeal to the ICC to look into his matter and reduce his ban,” Ali said. “He made mistakes and he has already stated everything about it. I feel he should get the benefit of doubt as he was a teenager and the ICC should help him. I have no doubt in my mind that Amir will come back and will play for Pakistan and will come back as a better bowler and better person,” he added. Basit Ali said that he was alarmed by the decline of pace bowling in Pakistan and believed that it was imperative on the part of the PCB to knock on any door that would help reduce Amir’s ban.
Everybody makes mistakes in their lives and Amir is no different. The thing which pleases me is that Amir has realised that he made mistakes and has apologized a number of times. I would urge PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf to take his case to the ICC and to try and help him by getting his ban reduced,” said Ali. “Zaka Ashraf has already done lots of good things for Pakistani cricket and he would do a lot of favour to Pakistan cricket if he somehow can bring Amir back to play for Pakistan, sooner rather than later,” Basit concluded.The five year ban imposed on Amir by an ICC tribunal in February 2011, is scheduled to end in 2016.