Speaking to PakPassion.net earlier today, a former Pakistan intenational cricketer estimated that if Amir doesn't play for the full 5year term of his ban, then he could have lost out on approximately £1.5 million.

by Saj Sadiq

06 February 2011

Teenage pace bowler was teary eyed yesterday after the 5 year ban imposed on him. The pain of the verdict was there for all to see as Amir left the Qatar Financial Centre, but whilst the pain that was etched across his face was evident, the financial pain that the ban imposed upon him will only come to light when those assigned with looking after his financial affairs do their maths.

Amir's dramatic rise to fame after his debut in the Twenty20 World Cup in England in 2009, when he helped Pakistan lift the trophy, was alarming even by Pakistani standards.

Highly thought of before his international debut, Amir had impressed his junior coaches, the Under 19 coaches and management and team mates alike. When he first played for Pakistan, many fans asked "whose the left arm skinny kid". By the end of the Twenty20 World Cup, Amir went from being labelled the "skinny kid" to being a fast bowling force in international cricket, recognised by cricket fans all around the world.

Amir produced great delivery after great delivery and ruffled the feathers of many great and high profile batsmen around the world. 
Consistently bowling at speeds of 90mph from a run up that was nowhere near the length of Shoaib Akhtar's, Amir became every Pakistani schoolkid's idol. He was a breath of fresh air. A cheeky smile was never far away. An impish innocence belied a determined cricketer who desperately wanted to succeed. 

51 wickets in 14 tests, 25 wickets in ODIs and 23 wickets in Twenty20 internationals, Amir currently stands on 99 wickets. Whether he will ever get his 100th international wicket is anyone's guess, as 5 years is a long time in any stretch of the imagination. There is no guarantee that firstly his lack of cicket after 5 years will mean that he will be in any shape, mentally or physically to come back, and more importantly whether those in power will actually ever allow him to play for Pakistan again.

Whilst Amir was every fast bowling fan's delight, he was also an agent's delight, with English County contracts on the table, commercial endorsements already in the bag and plenty of possible future deals in the pipeline. Brands wanted Amir to be their ambassador, his fresh face, tremendous skill and winning mentality a huge draw.

Speaking to PakPassion.net earlier today, a former Pakistan intenational cricketer estimated that if Amir doesn't play for the full 5year term of his ban, then he could have lost out on approximately £1.5 million.

"Amir's biggest loss will be the County deals that he would have definitely secured. The County sides were queuing up for his services and even if he didnt play a full season for any county, the money he would have made for half a season or even a Twenty20 deal with an English County side would have earned him a small fortune."

In addition to possible County Contracts, the possibility of a Twenty20 deal with a South African side or one of the Australian sides in the Big Bash would have also been huge.

Pakistani players are obviously not permitted to take part in the IPL at the moment, but had that policy changes in the near future, then Amir would have been one of the top picks for any of the Indian franchises.

The loss of the PCB contract and a deal with Pakistan kit manufacturer Boom Boom will also hit Amir hard in the pocket. The former international added "Amir was expected to be one of the top ranked contracted players for 2011 and will of course lose out on his earnings from the PCB for all of the international cricket that he won't be able to play, as well as bonuses."

Amir was one of Boom Boom's high profile players and whilst Amir was suspended by Boom Boom, pending the spot fixing trial, it's now widely expected that the deal with Boom Boom will be terminated soon.

In addition to the cricketing losses, Amir will lose out on endorsements from companies like Pepsi for whom he featured in advertising campaigns. PakPassion has learnt that Amir was due to feature in a number of marketing campaigns by international brands ahead of the World Cup, all of which have now been lost.

Amir a National Bank employee is also very likely to lose his contract with the Pakistani Bank, although an official at National Bank confirmed that a decision had yet not been reached on what action they will take against all three banned cricketers.

Wickets and runs are statistics that Amir will have lost out on in the coming years, but the biggest and most painful and damaging statistic could be the one that is Amir's bank balance.