Mumbai: Young Pakistani left-arm pacer Mohammed Aamir is England bound. Come July, Pakistan will start their England sojourn of four Tests and a trinagular series, also involving Ireland. And Aamir is named in the squad and is sure to figure in Pakistan’s first XI, provided he is fit.
This is the tour where six years ago Aamir along with the then skipper Salman Butt and pacer Mohammed Asif were convicted of spot-fixing and were served bans from international cricket. Aaamir got the lowest of five years by dint of being the youngest and promising cricketer. Butt and Asif received sanctions of seven and 10 years respectively.
This will the 24-year-old pacer’s first long tour after making comeback into the top flight of the game following a five-year long hiatus. So naturally, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would wish to be doubly assured about the conduct of the youngster during the crucial tour of nearly two months.
PCB, it is learnt, has spoken to the bowler at the PCB office in Lahore soon after he was picked for the tour. He has apparently been briefed on Dos and Donts on the tour and top officials — PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan, Najam Sethi and chief operating officer Subhan Ahmad — have advised him to follow instruction of team manager, anti-corruption unit and security staffs in to-to.
“During the meeting Aamir was told in clear terms that he will have to follow each instruction given to him by the team management and anti-corruption and security manager in England and totally avoid the media unless permitted by the manager…Aamir was was told that he should be mentally prepared to be ready to face bad situations during the tour as no one could control crowds or bystanders and he will have to show patience and tolerance,” a PCB official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
However, it would be an acid test for the young pacer, who has claimed 51 wickets in 14 Test appearances for Pakistan. The bowler would have been lamenting in some corner of Pakistan had the PCB not fought for his case so strongly. It’s time for the left-armer to pay something back to Pakistan cricket.