Amir can’t put a foot wrong, warns Pakistan manager

Pakistan cricket team manager Intikhab Alam Friday warned fast bowler Mohammad Amir cannot afford to put a foot wrong on the tour of England where he was caught in a spot-fixing case six years ago.

The images of Amir’s shocking over-stepping of the crease to bowl no-balls during the Lord’s Test in 2010 will re-emerge as he is all set to take the field on July 14 in the first of a four-match series.

Amir and his new-ball partner Mohammad Asif bowled deliberate no-balls on the order of then Test captain Salman Butt in return for money — a sting operation by the now defunct British tabloid News of the World.

All three players were banned for five years from playing cricket and jailed by a UK court.

But since the ban was lifted in September last year, Amir has been in a superb wicket-taking form and will be the key bowler for Pakistan on the tour which also has five one-day and a Twenty20 international.

Alam warned Amir will be under strict vigil.

“Amir cannot afford to put a foot wrong,” Alam told AFP as the team

prepares to depart for England early Saturday.

“Amir has to prove a point to the cricketing world that there will be no

slip-up, make up for the five years he lost and do justice to his talent by bringing laurels.” Alam said he fears people will provoke him.

“I fear people will provoke him on and off the field but he has been told

to remain calm and do not react,” said Alam. “That happened on his first tour (New Zealand) when he was fielding on the boundary line but they die down once you don’t react,” said Alam. AFP