Pakistani cricketer Muhammad Amir’s visa for England tour has been approved, reported on Tuesday. Amir was named in Pakistan’s 17-member squad for the Test series against England.
The Pakistan team would leave for England on June 18 to play four Tests, five One Days, and one T-20.
Amir who was banned from cricket for five years following the Lord s spot fixing scandal in 2010 along with the then captain Salman Butt and fellow pacer Mohammad Asif had submitted a visa application to the UK high commission in Islamabad last month.
The PCB had prepared a separate case for Amir while sending documents of other players for their visa to the UK High Commission in Islamabad.
The PCB chief had written a letter to the UK High Commissioner seeking special and sympathetic consideration on Amir’s visa.
The board was also in touch with the England and Wales Cricket Board who has been positive and cooperative in this matter right from the beginning.
The source said that the PCB had only decided to apply for a visa for Amir after legal consultations.
England players will not be hostile to Mohammad
Stuart Broad has insisted he won’t have any issues playing against Mohammad Amir should the convicted spot-fixer make his Test return at Lord’s next month.
Lord’s was the venue six years ago when left-arm quick bowler Amir and two Pakistan team-mates were involved in the deliberate bowling of no-balls as part of a newspaper ‘sting’ operation to demonstrate the trio’s willingness to take part in spot-fixing.
A teenager at the time and one of world cricket’s undoubted rising stars, Amir was sent to jail by an English court and banned from all cricket worldwide for five years.
He has now served that ban and, unlike 2010 Pakistan captain Salman Butt and fellow paceman Mohammad Asif, Amir has now been included in the squad for a four-Test series starting at Lord’s on July 14.
However, citing the reaction of spectators at Lord’s to England all-rounder Ben Stokes’ controversial dismissal for obstructing the field in a one-day international against Australia last year, Broad said spectators at the ‘home of cricket’ may not welcome Amir back with open arms.
“There was a lively reaction to Ben Stokes’ dismissal last year to Mitchell Starc, and it looked like a nasty atmosphere for a while.”
‘Result devalued’
As for his 2010 hundred which surpassed the highest Test score achieved by his father Chris, a former England opening batsman Broad does not feel it was tainted by the spot-fixing furore.
“I do look back at it, and I’m very proud of scoring a hundred at Lord’s and beating my dad’s highest score.”
“It’s certainly not devalued in my mind. I still scored those runs and (I’m) still on the honours board.”
Nevertheless, he added: “I think the result was devalued. We couldn’t celebrate we didn’t celebrate it was all a very strange time.
The one-day series that followed was quite unpleasant, and the crowds reflected the bad feeling he said.
