In a not-so-subtle warning, England captain Alastair Cook has cautioned that Pakistani left arm fast bowler Muhammad Amir will have to face "consequences" in the form of a hostile reception when he makes his return to Test cricket after a six-year absence at Lord's, reported The Guardian.
Amir was handed down a five-year spot-fixing ban for bowling deliberate no-balls at Lord’s in 2010.
"I’m sure there will be a reaction and that is right," said Cook. "That is part and parcel, that when you do something like that there are more consequences than just the punishment. That is something for him to cope with, whatever comes his way."
Read: My prime target is to become world’s best bowler: Amir
Cook, who has been an outspoken critic of spot-fixers and the length of their bans, renewed his call for lifelong bans for those found guilty.
"It hasn’t happened and the ICC haven’t made any big statements, but if I was in charge if you got caught once that would be it – one strike and you’re out."
The England captain was quick to add, however, that Amir had served his time and deserved to be given a chance to rebuild his career.
"Whether I agreed or disagreed with the punishment, he got it, served his time and he is absolutely right to come back. You’d have to speak to him. What he did wasn’t good, but he served his punishment then.
"It was very different then – match-fixers didn’t get caught," he said. "That was the first big one in England, we had others, but this was the first in the modern era."
Pakistan take on England in the first of four Tests at Lord's from July 14 with the spotlight on Amir.
The fast bowler will play his first five-day match at the same venue where he, Butt and Mohammad Asif were caught in a sting operation in 2010.
The trio had arranged deliberate no-balls in return for money during the Lord's Test against England on Pakistan's tour, resulting in a five-year cricketing ban and jail terms in the UK.
But Amir's ban ended in September last year, and he has since returned to the top of Pakistani cricket.
The 24-year-old now harbours ambitions of becoming the best bowler in the world.
