Pakistani players boycott camp due to Mohammad Amir's presence
Pakistan ODI skipper Azhar Ali and all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez have refused to attend a conditional training camp after Mohammad Amir, who served a prison sentence and lengthy ban for his role in a spot-fixing scandal, was included.
The duo were also reportedly unhappy over Amir, who is being considered for selection by the Pakistan cricket board. Pakistan team manager Agha Akbar confirmed that both players skipped the camp, due to the presence of the troubled cricketer, according to ESPN Cricinfo.
Azhar Ali bluntly stated that he wouldn't attend the camp as long as Amir was present. “I will not attend the camp as long as Amir is there. This is my decision and we are open to discuss with the PCB. I don’t want to comment on Hafeez’s decision, but we both have the same stance,” he said.
This was not the first time that Hafeez had made his stance clear. Previously, he refused to play for the Bangladesh Premier League franchise Chittagong Vikings, due to Amir's presence in the team.
“It is my personal opinion that I can’t share the dressing room with someone who hurt my country’s integrity,” Hafeez had said in November and also added that he was open to joining other franchises.
After a sensational sting operation by News of the World in 2010, which had shockingly revealed that Mohammed Amir, alongside Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt, were deliberately involved in spot-fixing against England, all three cricketers faced prison charges and hefty bans.
Amir was formally banned for 5 years by the ICC. But he has been allowed to play cricket again, and that’s when the PCB named him among the 26 probables for the pre-season conditioning camp ahead of the upcoming tour of New Zealand and cited it a second chance for the disgraced cricketer.
Many former Pakistani cricketers had expressed mixed opinions regarding the future of Amir. Ex-test captain Ramiz Raja, who was impressed by Amir, in the beginning, had insisted he should not be given another opportunity to play for Pakistan.
But former captain Mohammad Yousuf was in favour of Amir’s recall as he felt that he had served his punishment and deserved another opportunity.