KARACHI - Banned left-arm pacer Mohammad Aamir is unlikely to get a reprieve from the ICC before the 2015 World Cup, a senior official of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said. "The ICC has indicated that even if there is some relaxation given to Aamir in his five year ban it will come after the World Cup," the official told PTI on condition of anonymity.
PCB chairman Najam Sethi reportedly met with the ICC top officials in Dhaka to discuss the Aamir issue and was told he cannot be treated as an exception as he had committed a serious offence and violation of the anti-corruption code. The PCB last year asked the ICC executive board to review Aamir's case on humanitarian grounds keeping in mind his age. The ICC had formed a special committee to look into the matter and the existing anti-corruption clauses and submit their recommendations.
"The committee has so far not submitted the findings and are expected to do so at the next meeting in April. But a senior official of the ICC told Sethi that even if Aamir gets some relaxation in his ban it would not be not more than four to five months which means he is out of the World Cup," the official said.
Aamir, former captain Salman Butt and M Asif were all banned for different terms in February, 2011 for their involvement in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal in England. Aamir was given a minimum ban of five years. ICC chief executive Dave Richardson also told Pakistani reporters in Dhaka that no leniency could be shown to Aamir as it would send out wrong message to other players. Aamir himself is desperate to make a comeback to atleast domestic cricket but under the terms of his ban at present he can't even use the facilities of PCB at the National Cricket Academy. The PCB is now keen to atleast get clearance from the ICC for Aamir to train at the PCB facilities and under PCB coaches and trainers so that he is ready to return to top cricket once his ban ends officially in September, 2015.