Is the criticism against Mohammad Amir justified?

Mohammad Amir during a Chittagong Vikings training session

After five long years of serving out his ban, Mohammad Amir is now on the road to redemption. The hurdles are not only performance based, but also that the cricketing fraternity carries a divided opinion regarding the fast bowling sensation.

Amir first arrived on to the scene back in the T20 World Cup of 2009 which was a successful campaign for Pakistan who managed to win an ICC trophy after seventeen long years. The left arm fast bowler made a promising contribution in the tournament. The quality of the eighteen-year-old was making all the headlines in the cricketing world.

Spells against world class players such as Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson signified the quality he possessed.

However, the darkest day in Pakistan’s cricket history arrived when the spot-fixing trio were found guilty and punished for their deeds. It was a sad moment for the cricketing world as far as the eighteen-year-old Amir was concerned. People had tagged him as the next Wasim Akram when Amir showed that he was simply magical with the red cherry against England.

Everyone was in love with this special talent who found his feet so quickly in the international arena. Michael Holding was literally in tears when he came to know about the controversy; not only him but also other big names like Nasir Hussain, Michael Atherton and David Lloyd who were commentating in that sad Lords test match.

The talent was truly special and Wasim Akram’s statement back in 2010 sums it up – “It was exciting to watch Amir bowl so well at Lord's, He is a special talent and has pace, nip and can swing the ball both ways which is ideal for a pace man, and augurs well for his future. Amir is much cleverer than I was at 18.”

‘Everybody deserves a second chance’

Well, it hurts when such a talented player damages the pride of his country. The player with above average abilities had no choice but to learn a lesson during his time away from cricket. Amir turned out to be a strong boy; he accepted his mistake and went through the dark circumstance of his decision. Missing so many events, including two World Cups was a major loss for him and his nation.

At this point of time, Amir is back where he belongs. After serving probably the longest punishment of the modern era, the twenty-three-year-old is ready to prove his mettle again. The performances he has showed in Pakistan’s domestic are delightful. He is still in rhythm and still sustains the ruthless attitude that made him a world-class player five years ago.

Moreover, his deadly bowling in the Bangladesh Premier League is capturing the attention of the world. The fans are behind him as he knocks on the door of International stage yet again. However, there is a debate around the cricketing globe questioning the return of the fast bowler. Despite serving his punishment, some people still feel Amir does not deserve another opportunity.

Kevin Pietersen and Muhammad Hafeez are some high profile names who believe that Amir should be banned for life. Recently Hafeez refused the contract from Bangladesh Premier League as he was not comfortable with sharing the dressing room with a player who has hurt the pride of the entire nation.

However, the legendary cricketer Wasim Akram has different thoughts that are in favor of Amir’s return stating – â??“Amir’s performance today was excellent and I’m all for him to represent Pakistan, everybody deserves a second chance”

This conflict in thoughts may just harm the young man’s career. Players from your own backyard are denying your existence and calling you tainted – imagine the amount of mental strength required to counter that.

Amir obviously deserves another go, not only because he is super talented, but he has rightly realized his blunder and gone through the entire rehabilitation process. Mistakes are part of human life and such cases are evident in cricket history as well. Many apologized just like Amir did and got back settled in the game. From Shane Warne to Marlon Samuels, everyone was greeted back and given a chance of redemption. Why is it different with Amir?

Kevin Pietersen never denied the existence of Shane Warne in cricket, who was also similarly tainted. What If Hafeez gets a chance to play in Cricket All Stars along with Shane Warne, will he deny that opportunity too?

These double standards will not help anyone, and will eventually harm the beautiful game. The right thing is to welcome back the young boy with arms open and keep him in your company to ensure such incidents are not part of the game anymore.