England vs Pakistan: Mohammad Asif aiming to emulate fellow spot-fixer Mohammad Amir with Test return

Test return? Mohammad Asif
(RIZWAN TABASSUM/AFP/Getty Images)
Tom Collomosse13 July 2016

Mohammad Asif believes he can follow fellow convicted fixer Mohammad Amir back into the Pakistan team.

Amir is likely to play his first Test since 2010 at Lord’s tomorrow, six years after he was involved in the spot-fixing scandal that overshadowed the Test against England at the home of cricket.

Amir has served a five-year ban and completed a short prison sentence. Like Amir, Asif was found to have bowled a no-ball deliberately, which also resulted in a suspension and a prison sentence. At 33, Asif is nine years older than Amir but still believes he has an international future. “Everyone has the right to come back after making a mistake,” said Asif. “Now I am back on track and I am playing again. Look at Mohammad Amir, who has rejoined the national side. He is playing well and I hope the team perform well in the UK.”

Asif is playing club cricket in Norway to try to prepare himself for domestic cricket in Pakistan. From there, he hopes he will put himself in Test contention again.

Were Asif to return, he would surely face the sort of hostility Amir has encountered since he made his comeback. But Asif told BBC World Service: “I have nothing to say to those people. They have their own opinion. They are hurt from that time and I am hurt. We made mistakes and apologised.”

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