Lahore , December 27 : Pakistan’s ODI captain Azhar Ali and all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez on Saturday agreed to join a training camp after meeting Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan who resolved a row over tainted fast bowler Mohammad Aamir. Both Hafeez and Azhar, in a protest, refused to become part of the training camp due to presence of Aamir who was among the 26 players selected for the camp after the left-arm fast bowler completed his rehabilitation programme, having served a five-year ban. However, Shaharyar called in both players and convinced them to join the camp. “The matter has been resolved. Both Hafeez and Azhar listened to me and agreed to join the camp unconditionally and will have to support Aamir when he returns to the team,” Shaharyar added. The training camp is staged to select the squad for next month’s tour of New Zealand where Pakistan play three one-day and as many Twenty20 internationals.
Both senior cricketers expressed their concerns about Aamir in the meeting with Shaharyar before agreeing to join the camp. “I do respect their concerns but some of them, I told them, are not acceptable. They understood and confirmed that they are on the same page with us and now we are looking forward to the success of the team,” he said. “Aamir is now eligible for national selection after serving his punishment. It is now Azhar and Hafeez’s responsibility as senior players to take Aamir like a family,” Shaharyar said. The PCB chief said Aamir also apologised to his fellow players, adding that the bowler “will remain under the microscope whenever he plays, so I am satisfied with the meeting and hope the matter has been resolved.”
In November, Hafeez reportedly refused to join Bangladesh’s Chittagong Vikings, where Aamir played. Hafeez was happy that Shaharyar had agreed to listen to his reservations and said he would continue to oppose corruption on principle. “I have forgiven all who have damaged the integrity of Pakistan cricket through corruption but in principle, I am against corruption and will keep holding this stance forever,” Hafeez said. “I am happy that the PCB chairman heard my reservations and agreed to safeguard our concerns for the sake of Pakistan cricket. It’s my right to raise my voice, which I did, and I will do everything in my capacity to fight corruption,” said Hafeez.
Aamir, then Test captain Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif were charged with accepting money in exchange for arranging deliberate no-balls during a Test match at Lord’s in England in 2010. The three players and their agent Mazhar Majeed were jailed by a British court in 2011. Amir, Salman and Asif were also banned from cricket for five years. But in September this year the International Cricket Council (ICC) lifted sanctions against the three players. Amir’s ban was relaxed in January this year and he was allowed to play domestic matches. At the time of the ban, Aamir was tipped as one of the most talented fast bowlers in the world. Since his return, he has taken 22 wickets in four non first-class games, while his tally of wickets in the qualifying rounds of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy stood at 34.
The Pakistan players are training ahead of the national side’s upcoming tour of New Zealand, where they will play three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches. Salman and Asif will feature in the national one-day tournament next month, their first appearance in domestic matches since their ban expired. The PCB had given them a rehabilitation programme to undergo before qualifying for national selection – a process Aamir has already completed.