Mohammad Amir allowed to use National Cricket Academy facilities

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has requested the ICC to allow banned pacer Mohammad Aamir to start using facilities at the NationalCricketAcademy under the supervision of PCB coaches.

A senior official on the board told Rediff that the ICC had or would allow Aamir to resume playing first class cricket were incorrect.

“We don’t foresee that happening but the four man sub-committee formed by the ICC executive board to look into our request on Aamir’s case will meet in October for the first time and only than something will be clear,” the official said.

He said the PCB had told the ICC at the recent board meeting that they wanted permission to be given to Aamir to start using facilities and start training at the academy.

“That is the request we have made and we are hoping that we should get some permission from the ICC late next year on this when Aamir would have completed four years of his five year ban period,” he said.

“Under the terms of the anti-corruption code a player cannot use any facilities of his board until his ban is completed. We have requested Aamir be given permission to start doing this before the ban ends,” he added.

The official said the board was also hopeful that the ICC would also allow Aamir to play club cricket close to the end of his ban period.

Asked whether the PCB was planning to also speak to the ICC about the life ban on Test leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, the official said they only took up Aamir’s case because he had confessed to his wrongdoing and was a teenager when the spot-fixing scandal took place.

“In Danish’s case he has not accepted any wrong doing and secondly the England and Wales Cricket Board submitted a lot of circumstantial evidence against him in the hearings of the ECB disciplinary panel that eventually banned him,” he said.