Mohammad Amir (Urdu: محمد عامر, born 13 April 1992), also known as Mohammad Aamer, is a Pakistani international cricketer, whose suspension and subsequent five year ban curtailed his promising career. He is a left arm fast bowler, who opened the bowling in all formats of the game. He made his first-class debut in 2007, and his first One-Day International and Test appearance in 2009 in Sri Lanka, at the age of 17. However, he played his first international match during the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, where he played in every game, helping the national side win the tournament.,[1][2] Amir was touted as having the potential to be a leading fast bowler by former Pakistani left arm fast bowler Wasim Akram[3] who picked him out as a prospect in 2007.[2] Since Amir’s establishment in the international arena, former Pakistani batsman Rameez Raja, as well as Akram himself, have stated that “He is much cleverer than [Akram] at 18”.[3] On August 29, 2010, he was implicated in allegations of spot-fixing and is currently serving a five-year ban for allegedly bowling two-deliberate no-balls, Amir however has announced that he plans to appeal the verdict handed out by his prosecutor the International Cricket Council.[4] Test five-wicket hauls Figures Match Against City/Country Venue Year No. 1 5/79 7 Australia Melbourne, Australia Melbourne Cricket Ground 2009 Test 1943 2 5/52 13 England London, England The Oval 2010 Test 1970 3 6/84 14 England London, England Lord’s Cricket Ground 2010 …

A huge cricket fan, I watched this summer’s fourth Test Match between England and Pakistan enthralled, first by England’s astonishing collapse at the hands of Pakistan’s 18 year old left-handed fast bowling prodigy, Mohammad Amir, who swung the ball late and barely playably at almost 90mph, and then by the amazing, world record eighth wicket partnership between Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad that turned the game on its head. The brilliance of these three players’ performances (and later in the game, the bowling of Graeme Swann) would in itself have made this a match to remember for many a year. Sadly, the revelations in the Sunday press alleging that three no-balls had been deliberately bowled as part of a betting scam during England’s innings, two of them by Amir, meant that this Test Match will now be remembered for all the wrong reasons. At the time of writing, the allegations have not been proven, but they have caused understandable and almost universal outrage amongst lovers of cricket. There have been widespread calls for any players involved in the scam to be banned for life. I wrote the words of this song because I believe, shocked as I am by what is alleged to have taken place, that Mohammad Amir, whether or not he is guilty, probably doesn’t deserve such a harsh punishment as a lifetime ban. The players in the alleged betting scam are small fry in comparison to those whose cynicism and manipulative skills make such corruption possible, and youngsters in their …