Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir has received a warning from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for his association with surrogate betting companies, as reported by a local newspaper on Wednesday.
This development comes after Amir recently reversed his retirement decision and appeared in a social media post for a betting company.
The PCB has reminded Amir of the prohibition on signing contracts with betting companies and has instructed him to refrain from engaging in any such promotional activities.
In response to the PCB’s directives, Amir has informed the board that his contract with the betting company was signed before he reversed his retirement. However, he has agreed that his images will no longer be used for promotional purposes.
Amir faced criticism on social media after his endorsement of the betting company came to light. Reports indicate that Amir had signed a one-year contract worth Rs12.5 million, which included 60 social media posts.
Amir, along with Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt, was banned from international cricket for five years by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in a spot-fixing case in 2010. He also served half of a six-month sentence in young offenders’ institutes in Feltham and Dorset.
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Despite his past controversies, Amir played a crucial role in Pakistan’s victory in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, where they defeated India in the final by 180 runs. His exceptional bowling spell in the final dismantled India’s top order.
Although Amir announced his international retirement in December 2020, citing mental torture and dissatisfaction with the management, he later reversed his decision and was included in the national squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand.
Pakistan and New Zealand are set to play three T20Is at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on April 18, 20, and 21, followed by two more T20Is in Lahore on April 25 and 27, respectively.
Amir’s cricket career boasts 36 Tests, 61 One-Day Internationals, and 50 T20s for Pakistan.