Discarded batsman Yasir Hameed is eyeing a return to the national after completing his ban for a breach of code of conduct on the England tour last year. “The board’s disciplinary committee had fined me Rs 300,000 and banned me for the second half of the last domestic season. I have paid the fine and also served my ban,” Yasir said.
The stylish right-hander ran into trouble last year after playing in the Test series in England when he was hoodwinked by the “News of the World” Sunday tabloid into speaking to an undercover reporter on the spot-fixing issue that had broken out than involving three players Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Aamir.
Yasir, who has played 25 Tests and 56 one-dayers filed a petition through his lawyer Umar Khayyam with the Press Complaints Commission of the United Kingdom against the News Of the World for unethical practices and tarnishing his image. The complaint was based on four points: inaccurate reporting, a breach of privacy, misrepresentation of character and harassment.
The commission ruled in favour of Yasir and the newspaper, which on Sunday published its last edition, had to remove all material from its website relating to the video interview of the batsman.
“That decision against the newspaper is the most satisfying moment of my life because they cheated me and also doctored the video interview to give the impression I had said that Pakistani players were involved in fixing. “The truth is this undercover reporter who posed as a business agent kept making statements on this line and throwing them at me,” Yasir said.
The batsman said that during the course of correspondence with the Press Complaints Commission of the UK and the NOW some very interesting facts about the spot-fixing case were revealed that highlighted the unethical practices of the newspaper and its reporter.
“I now just want to focus on my cricket again and I have started training hard. I am 33 and I feel I can still give a lot to the team,” he said. “The fact that there are now several players in the national team who are over 30 and they are performing well has encouraged me to not give up hope of playing for Pakistan again,” he added. Yasir said he would prove his form in the domestic season that starts next month. “I will try to win back the confidence of selectors and board with my performances because that is what matters,” he further said.
