PCB miffed with Mohammad Amir for appearing on a TV show
The tainted Pakistan left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir once again found himself in another controversy for appearing on a television show just before their all-important tour of England. Reportedly, the Pakistan Cricket Board is miffed with the cricketer as he didn't inform them prior to accepting the invitation to appear on the show. Aamir, who returned to international cricket this year after a long gap of 6 years, is set to make a comeback in the longest format of the game for Pakistan in their upcoming tour of England where they are scheduled to play 4 Tests, 5 ODIs and 1 T20I against England and also 2 ODIs against Ireland.
NDTV reported that according to their close source in the board, the matter had been taken seriously since Amir didn't inform them prior to accepting the invitation to appear in the show.
"This has happened just a few days after the top PCB officials including chairman, Shahryar Khan and Najam Sethi had met with Amir in Lahore and briefed him clearly on what was expected of him in England," the source said.
Also read: 5 reasons why Mohammad Amir's Test return is good news for cricket
Amir, who courted a lot of controversy for his alleged involvement in the spot-fixing saga that rocked the entire cricket fraternity in 2010, surely didn’t please the board officials and now they have instructed Amir to give his explanation. It was also reported that the board, as well as the team management, was working out a plan to limit his media appearances ahead and during the tour of England.
The reports also added that the PCB chief Shahryar and the other officials didn’t like the fact that despite being given instructions to remain low key and avoid the media, the 24-year-old didn't pay heed to that. He was also asked to show tolerance and patience while dealing with the media and opposing players and fans in England.
"He was also told clearly to improve his attitude and not antagonise his own teammates." the source added.
Also read: Mohammad Amir gets UK visa, set to play Test against England
Earlier, the PCB had to file a special case to finally secure a visa for Amir who was among the three Pakistani players who were found guilty of spot-fixing during Pakistan's tour to England in 2010. Amir, who was at his peak then, committed one of the fatal blunders to leave his career in doldrums. However, he made a return to the national side in the shorter formats and displayed glimpses of his class in the game against India in Asia Cup 2016.
With his natural ability to swing the ball, Amir can be a potent threat for the English batsmen in their home conditions and the PCB wants to make sure that the pacer doesn’t get involved in any sort of controversy before that.
To ensure that, the PCB Chairman, Shahryar Khan will personally speak to Amir about the matter prior to the team's departure for London this weekend.