Asian Correspondent Asia News

There are so many people defending cricketers on Dawn , its really surprising. It’s their trust and love towards the game which was breached. Everybody is talking about Amir but I am really more depressed for Asif who really is more at risk of not bowling again !!!

Agree with most of what you said. I ain’t surprised one bit about the way the PCB has handled it, and it should only reinforce the suspicion that this goes much higher than it seems.

Disagree about any leniency shown to Aamer, or anyone else. The fact that he’s 18 means little; he knew consciously what he was doing and if he didn’t have the fortitude to say fuck off to the seniors then he deserves to face the consequences.

No leniency, no let-offs, make them examples, and let everyone know that you can be 18, a fantastic prospect, and even the f***ing president’s son, but no, you will not be forgiven.

Life bans for all.

I just want to say that as a New Zealander who loves cricket, I have long supported Pakistan teams mainly due to the natural flair their players often display. Some of them are quite brilliant, some likeable rogues… there’s never a dull day when it comes to watching Pakistan cricketers. I just hope this spot-fixing scandal doesn’t further alienate Pakistan from the international cricket circuit. Of course it probably will and while players found guilty of corruption should probably go down for it, bare in mind that some people make mistakes when they feel there is no better option. Amir is still a young guy from the Swat valley, he may have been pressured into this. Asif on the other hand, while probably my favourite bowler in world cricket, is likely to be harshly dealt with however again, there may be an acceptable reason why he made such an error of judgment if it tyurns out he is guilty.

The ICC must work hard to ensure Pakistan cricket gets cleaned up but also that it stays prominent on the world stage. There’s no light without shade.