Petitioner seeks lifetime ban on Amir

KARACHI: Sindh High Court on Monday directed Pakistan Cricket Board to file comments on petition seeking lifetime ban on spot-fixing convict medium pacer Mohammad Amir, who was recently allowed by the International Cricket Council to play domestic cricket.
Petitioner Rana Faizul Hasan, secretary of a non-government organisation, questioned the permission of ICC to Amir to play domestic cricket.
He submitted in the petition that Amir admitted spot fixing, alongwith then Pakistani skipper Salman Butt and another fast bowler Mohammad Asif in the 2010 tour of England, and that after such admission he could not be allowed to play any domestic or national level cricket.
He said that some influential persons wanted him to return to the national team for ulterior motives.
Amir was banned, alongwith Salman and Asif, from the sport for five years.
The petitioner said that the convicted players defamed the country and they could not be allowed to play domestic cricket.
Pakistan Cricket Board counsel Tafazul Haider Rizvi questioned the maintainability of the petition for hearing at Karachi on ground of jurisdiction.
He contended that proper remedy if available was to file the case before the Lahore High Court.
He also requested time to file comments.
SHC’s division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar repeated notice to Amir through director domestic cricket PCB Lahore.
The court directed PCB to file comments on the next date of hearing as well as petitioner to satisfy court with regard to the maintainability of the petition. The next hearing has been fixed for March 24.