Speaking with PakPassion.net former Pakistan pace bowler Sarfraz Nawaz has called for a life ban to be imposed upon Mohammad Amir, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif.

By Saj Sadiq (26th February, 2012)

Speaking with PakPassion.net former Pakistan pace bowler Sarfraz Nawaz has called for a life ban to be imposed upon Mohammad Amir, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif.

The three Pakistani cricketers were banned by Michael Beloff QC, who chaired a tribunal last year in Doha following allegations in a Sunday newspaper that the trio were involved in spot-fixing during a Test match against England in 2010.

Butt, who was captain of the Pakistan team at the time of the incident, was handed a ten-year ban, five years of which are suspended. Pace bowler Asif received a seven-year ban, with two years suspended, and fellow bowler Mohammad Amir was hit with a five-year ban.

In a recent interview with the BBC, former Pakistan captain Imran Khan stated that he thought Mohammad Amir should be allowed to resume his cricket career once he has served his five-year ban. However Sarfraz disagreed with Imran’s statement and feels that despite Amir’s tender years, the left arm pace bowler should serve a life ban from cricket.

“I read Imran’s statement with great surprise. In fact I was shocked that he said such a thing. I don’t think Amir should be allowed to return to cricket at all and the Pakistan Cricket Board should not be offering to help him either. He should be banned for life.” stated Sarfraz.

Nawaz also feels that Amir and his two former colleagues have betrayed the nation of Pakistan and cheated the genuine cricket lovers around the world and deserve little sympathy.

“They deserve no sympathy at all. It was a case of blatant cheating and the only reason was greed. All three of them were very talented cricketers. Amir had the world at his feet he was a bowler of genuine class and ability. Butt had just been given the honour of leading Pakistan in Test cricket and Asif had shown in England in 2010 what a thoughtful and impressive bowler he was. All of them threw that away, they tarnished the reputation of Pakistan cricket, cheated cricket lovers all over the world and betrayed the nation of Pakistan.”

“It’s simple, if you cheat your employer and your employer discovers what you have been up to, then you will get sacked and your employer will not re employ you or help you in any way. Why should these cricketers be any different?” added Nawaz.

PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf has previously hinted that Amir would be given support while undergoing rehabilitation and the PCB have hinted that they may put Amir into an education programme as part of his rehabilitation, however Nawaz feels that the Pakistan Cricket Board should steer well clear of Amir and not help in any fashion, whatsoever.

“Despite his young age, if Amir is allowed back into domestic cricket or international cricket in future, the PCB will be setting a dangerous precedent. He and his two former team mates (Butt and Asif) need to be made an example of. If they aren’t made an example of and are allowed back into cricket in Pakistan then that is not going to act as a deterrent for other young cricketers. We need a situation where up and coming cricketers look at the example of Amir, Butt and Asif and see that there was no leniency given to them and appreciate that cheating is not the right path. If the PCB is seen to have a soft touch then future generations of Pakistani cricketers will not be deterred.”

Amir returned to Pakistan on Saturday after being released from a young offenders' institute after serving half of a six-month sentence handed down in November. The CAS, based in Switzerland, registered Amir's appeal in March of last year, at the same time as Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt’s appeals, but is yet to announce a panel to hear the appeal.