DUBAI: The International Cricket Council on Thursday gave permission for banned Pakistan paceman Mohammad Amir to return to domestic cricket with immediate effect, relaxing his ban for spot-fixing.

Amir was one of three Pakistani players handed bans of at least five years for arranging no-balls to order in a Test against England at Lord’s in 2010.

The 22-year-old’s ban was due to expire on September 2, but the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) used discretionary powers to allow him to return to Pakistani domestic games early.

“The ACSU chairman, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, with the prior approval of the ICC Board and the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board), has exercised his discretion to allow Amir to return to domestic cricket played under the auspices of the PCB with immediate effect,” the ICC said in a statement.

Amir, along with captain Salman Butt and new-ball partner Mohammad Asif were found guilty of orchestrating deliberate no-balls in the Lord’s Test against England in August 2010.

The three players and their agent Mazhar Majeed were jailed by a UK court after the now-defunct tabloid News of the World exposed them in a sting operation.

At the time of the incident Amir was regarded as one of the hottest young bowling prospects in world cricket and there was some sympathy for him, given his young age — he was 18 at the time.

“The ACSU chairman was satisfied that Amir had cooperated with the ACSU by fully disclosing his part in the matters that led to his disqualification, admitting his guilt, showing remorse and cooperating with the Unit’s ongoing investigations and by recording messages for the ACSU education sessions,” the ICC statement said.

In 2013 the PCB asked the ICC to relax certain conditions of Amir’s ban.

That prompted the ICC to form a committee which recommended a change in the players’ code of conduct.

In November last year the ICC Board approved a provision which allows all banned players to return to domestic cricket a few months before their ban expires.

PCB lawyer Tafazzul Rizvi said Amir will be monitored during his return to domestic matches.

“The ICC code was followed in the process and now PCB will monitor Amir’s behaviour in the next few months and only after that will he be eligible to return to international cricket,” Rizvi told AFP.

Former captain Ramiz Raja and former PCB head Tauqir Zia recently voiced their opposition to Amir’s return to international cricket.

“Don’t get me wrong — I am all for rehabilitation and for finding ways to set a young man back on course in his life. But it just can’t be in the very game that he sullied and brought disrepute to,” Ramiz said in December last year.

PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan had also revealed that some current Pakistan players had indicated they would not be comfortable sharing a dressing room with Amir.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2015

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