Mohammad Amir Will Get UK Visa to Play Series, Say Confident Pakistan Cricket Board
Pakistan Cricket Board are confident Mohammad Amir, who was banned for five years for spot-fixing during Pakistan's tour to England in 2010, will get a visa to play the series.
Highlights
-
Amir was banned for five years for spot-fixing in 2010.
-
Amir made his comeback in January 2016 against New Zealand
-
Pakistan will play England for four Tests in July.
Pakistan Cricket Board is confident that tainted left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir will soon be issued a visa to play in the series against England in the United Kingdom this summer.
A top official of the Board today said that all the homework done to secure a visa for Amir should bear fruit by next week.
"We see no reason for Amir not to get a visa because we have been in touch with the England and Wales Cricket Board and the UK authorities and we were told that while Salman Butt and Muhammad Asif would not be welcome to tour England the case is different for Aamir," he said.
He said the PCB had prepared a separate case for Amir while sending his documents for the visa to the UK High Commission in Islamabad.
Along with former captain Salman Butt and fellow pacer Mohammad Asif, Amir was found guilty of spot-fixing by the ICC and later by a crown court in London during Pakistan's tour to England in 2010.
Amir made his international comeback in January in New Zealand after serving a five-year ban.
UK visa laws state that a foreign individual's visa application will be denied for up to 10 years if the individual has served a jail sentence of one year to four years within the UK.
The official said that ECB's top officials had been very cooperative in the matter.
The official said the Board only decided to apply for a visa for Amir after legal consultations. He said if Amir got the visa he would undergo a special course to prepare him for the long tour starting in late June.
"He will be given a full briefing on what to expect in England and how to avoid controversies in the media or on the field," the official said.
The official confirmed that the move to appoint Englishman Brian Murgatroyd as the media manager with the Pakistan team for the tour had not been successful.
"We are now looking at other options as we know how important it will be to properly interact with the media and avoid controversies or scandals on the tour," he added.