Pakistan Players Resisting Mohammad Amir’s International Comeback?

Misbah, Afridi and Hafeez have reportedly shown reluctance to share a dressing room with Amir.

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir returned to domestic cricket after four and a half years of serving a ban for bowling deliberate no-balls during the test match against England in 2009. (Photo: AP)

Mohammad Amir’s international comeback has met heavy opposition from the Pakistani dressing room, PCB sources have told PTI. The fast bowler returned to domestic cricket this year after serving a ban for bowling deliberate no-balls during a Test against England in 2009.

A well-informed source in the Board told PTI that just before the national team left for the Test series against England, skipper Misbah-ul-Haq and Muhammad Hafeez had complained to the Board about the behaviour of Amir.

<p>Misbah was upset that while he crossed paths with Amir several times in the national cricket academy when the team was training there before going to UAE not once did the youngster acknowledge him. When the National cricket academy head coach Muhammad Akram asked Amir to bowl to the Pakistani players in the nets, Hafeez backed out stating he was not going to play with a tainted player.</p>

<p>Source to PTI</p>

The source even added that Pakistan’s national T20 captain Shahid Afridi had made his feelings clear to the Board about allowing Amir and the two other tainted players Muhammad Asif and Salman Butt back into the team.

The trio completed a five-year ban for spot-fixing last September and since than while Amir is allowed to play first class cricket under a special relaxation rule by the ICC, Butt and Asif are yet to be given a chance to play first-class cricket.

The Board recently fined Amir 150 per cent of his fees for bad behaviour during a domestic match and PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan made it clear that with this behaviour the youngster would be allowed back into the team until he is there.

The trio last week as part of their reintegration process gave an anti-corruption lecture to players in domestic cricket.