ECB asks ICC to clarify terms of Amir's ban

Lahore: Embarrassed after banned Pakistani pacer Mohammad Amir played in one of its club matches, the England Cricket Board has sought clarification from the ICC on the terms and conditions of the sanction imposed on him for involvement in spot-fixing.

The ICC ban on Amir - and his Pakistani teammates Salman Butt and Mohammed Asif - bars him from participating in the game at any recognised level. © AFP

The development comes after the ICC confirmed it was investigating reports that Amir, despite the five-year ban on him for spot-fixing, had played in an English division one match in Surrey league.
The ICC ban on Amir - and his Pakistani teammates Salman Butt and Mohammed Asif - bars him from participating in the game at any recognised level and his turning up for the English club side could be in breach of the ICC terms and conditions on his sanction.
The source said the ECB had told the PCB they were also investigating the matter but had also asked the ICC for clarification on the exact conditions of the sanction as Amir says he was told by the club organisers it would be all right for him to play in the match.
When contacted, a senior official of the PCB told PTI they were looking at the Amir issue but not taking it seriously.
"As far as we are concerned, the ICC ban specifically states that a banned player cannot play in any event or tournament that is organised, sanctioned or approved by the home board or its affiliated units," the official said.
"We also know that under the conditions of the sanction, the player can also land into trouble if anyone connected with organising the match under review is connected in anyway to the home board or its affiliated units," the official added.
The official said since the matter was concerning the ICC directly and Amir has been in London since last month, they were not following it up closely.
"We are waiting to see what happens but if Amir has gone and violated the terms of his sanction unknowingly, that is something we have to look at," he said.
Amir on Wednesday told the pakpassion.net website that he was innocent and didn't know he was violating any term of his sanction as he was told by organisers that he was playing in a friendly fixture and not in any competition.
Amir claimed four wickets and scored 60 runs playing for Addington in Surrey Cricket League Division One at the LSE ground in New Malden.
"I was informed by club representatives before the game that it was a friendly match, being played on a privately owned cricket ground. I asked the club representatives if the match fell under the jurisdiction of ECB and they informed me that the match did not," Aamir told the website.

PTI