It was quite an effort by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to vouch for a player, who not only corrupted the game of cricket, but also belonged to a country where corrupting the game was never a new phenomenon.

After a round of talks and substantial assurances by the PCB that Mohammad Amir is now a clean soul, the International Cricket Council (ICC) today allowed the 22-year-old left-arm fast bowler to resume playing domestic cricket with immediate effect.

Amir had been sentenced to six months in prison in England for bowling intentional no-balls at prearranged times during a match against England at Lord’s in August 2010.

The development was hard for many to digest and the Twitterati exploded in condemnation. They were joined by former cricketing greats and board officials.

“He betrayed the nation,” one die-hard cricket fan said on television.

“He must never play cricket,” was the opinion of another patriotic fellow countrymen.

“He is a criminal,” said a much-respected former board official.

The buzz was never ending.

The reaction to Amir’s domestic return is quite extraordinary. It is worth noting that Amir is not the first man to have been involved in corrupt practices. And by saying that, I do not endorse his actions.

 

Also read: Amir should not be allowed to return, says Tauqir Zia

 

Rashid Latif, former captain and wicketkeeper, was the first cricketer to blow the whistle on match-fixing during Pakistan's tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe in 1995, where he had accused Salim Malik and other team-mates of wrongdoing.