Former Pakistan president, General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf, while talking to a British news channel on Sunday, expressed his hope that the ICC would show some compassion in the young fast bowler’s case.
“There is no space for corruption in life but the game of cricket is going to lose if the ICC ended the career of mere 18-year old Aamer”, Musharraf told the channel.
The ICC’s Anti Corruption Unit has charged three Pakistani crickets, Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, and Mohammad Aamer, for their alleged involvement in the spot-fixing scandal after a reporter of an English tabloid trapped the trio in their net of spot-fixing.
The trio have been quizzed by the Scotland Yard after News of the World claimed that they took money to bowl No Balls in the Lord’s Test last month.
The trio have been temporarily suspended by the ICC and they have returned back to Pakistan to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr with their respective families.
Musharraf told the BBC Radio, “It’s terrible. Anyone who has done this must be punished. They don’t deserve any sympathy. Having said that, Aamer, this youngster, 18 years old, he is a misled boy. It’s terrible. He deserves the punishment. But I know he comes from a poor family. The family was entirely looking forward to him with all the future available to him. Let’s not let this family down. Let him do well and look after that family.”
Aamer had surprised the whole cricketing world after becoming the youngest Test cricketer to reach fifty wickets in his career.
“Let’s not lose Aamer, let him serve cricket”, Musharraf pleaded to the international cricket authorities. “Cricket will be the loser, if he is handed harsh punishments”, he added.
He went on to say that the idea should be to reform an individual rather than belting him with severe penalisation and literally destroy him.
It is important to mention here that the ICC chief, Haroon Lorgat, in his recent interviewm has also showed soft corner towards Mohammad Aamer and expressed his hope for some leniency towards the young Pakistani fast bowler.
