Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan said Mohammad Amir would not receive a hostile reception during the upcoming England series.
The old-timer all-rounder said that he believed the English crowd would be sympathetic towards the left-arm fast bowler since he accepted responsibility for his previous actions. “I do not think he will get a hostile reception from what I have seen having been to England,” he said. “There is a lot of sympathy for him because he was just 19 when the spot-fixing scandal took place, and he later admitted his guilt and apologised to everyone,” he said.
There is huge pressure on the pacer as he will be the main focus on his return to the place of the 2010 ‘spot-fixing’ scandal, with the first Test taking place at the Lord’s ground where he bowled the no-balls.
Since his return to international side, Amir has toured New Zealand, and featured in the Asia Cup and World T20 tournaments. However, England may prove to be a more difficult prospect for him.
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Nevertheless, the 24-year-old is excited to perform better for Pakistan in the upcoming tour. “I’ve got an opportunity which I feel no one has got in their career as I can resume my Test career at Lord’s where my progression was curtailed due to an unfortunate incident, I was the best bowler in the series last time around, but all that became meaningless. However, I want to emerge as the best bowler on this tour and help my team do well in a tough series.”
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Imran Khan further said that the sympathetic response Amir will receive in England will help him execute better during the tour. “My experience tells me that he will get a positive response in England, and this should help him perform well in the upcoming series,” he concluded.