The new Pakistan coach, Mickey Arthur has pledged to do everything in his power to help the condemned paceman Mohammad Amir grasp his full potential after the bowler was granted a visa for the team’s forthcoming tour of England.
Amir will return to England six years after a spot-fixing scandal in a Lord’s Test caused bans and jail sentences for the then teenage bowler and his former team-mates, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif.
Arthur, who coached Amir at the Karachi Kings in Pakistan Super League said: “He served his time, he’s done it. I had Amir in the PSL, he was a fantastic professional.
“Other stuff is not relevant to me. The stuff that’s relevant to me is making Mohammad Amir the best he can possibly be as a cricketer.”
Amir’s return after serving a five-year ban was originally begrudged by some of his team-mates but the 24-year-old has appreciated the solid backing from the Pakistan Cricket Board.
“People can say what they like, it’s got nothing to do with me,” Arthur said. “If Mohammad Amir is picked in the Pakistan cricket team, which he has been for the England tour, it’s my role as head coach to make him the best player he can possibly be.”
