11 Jan 2012

Pakistan will open door to disgraced Amir

12:44 pm on 11 January 2012

The Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Zaka Ashraf says teenage fast bowler Mohammad Amir, serving six-months in jail for spot-fixing elements of a Test match, could still have a future in international cricket.

Amir, 19, was detained for six months in a young offenders institution after he admitted bowling two intentional no-balls in the Lord's Test against England in August 2010.

Amir, along with team-mates Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt, was banned for a minimum of five years by the International Cricket Council in February last year.

Ashraf says when Amir is cleared by the International Cricket Council and serves his punishment, Pakistan would be happy to have him back in the fold if he undergoes intense counselling.

Amir has taken 51 wickets in 14 Tests.

The former captain Butt and Asif were jailed for 30 months and one year respectively by a London court in November for their part in the gambling-inspired plot.