Mohammad Amir blame PCB for fit fiasco

An apologetic Mohammad Amir has answerable PCB for not calming him enough against corruption and vowed to make known "more" about the case.

Amir was sent to young offender custody centre for six months while Butt and Asif were sent to jail for 30 months and 12 months correspondingly after being found guilty of spot-fixing during last year's Lord's Test against England.

The young bowler held the Pakistan cricket establishment for not doing sufficient to create awareness among players about the pitfalls of getting into corruption.

"The PCB never told me just how serious an offence it was to get into these sorts of things. They didn't educate me sufficient about anti-corruption laws," he added.

He also expressed dissatisfaction at the way Butt and Asif slander him during the trial in a London court.

"They tried to refuse my standing and name during the trial and when the time comes I will reveal all about this case," said Amir, who picked up 51 wickets in his short career of 14 Tests.

Amir apologized for his role in the scandal. "I really regret what I have done. I am really sorry for what has happened. I can only now say sorry to my countrymen and all cricket lovers for my actions," Aamir said.

The 19-year-old left-arm pacer, who was compared to Wasim Akram and other greats at his tender age, said the realization of what he had done and how he had harmed his countrymen and the sport came very late.

"If I had known this would all end this way I would have stayed clear from such things? I got misled and was mistaken and today, I have paid the price for it," Amir told Geo News, shortly after the judge announced his sentence.

"I got approved absent and it was the biggest error of my life," he added.

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Andrew Strauss needs calm on jailed trio

England skipper Andrew Strauss is strong-minded to see that his players do not harbor any ill-feeling against Pakistan in the wake of spot-fixing scandal.

Several British players such as Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann have made their resentment public in the background of the spot-fixing scandal, in which three Pakistani cricketers were found guilty and sentence for varied terms.

Off-spinner Swann has exposed in his life story that England players required nothing to do with the Pakistan side (in 2010 tour) and that the situation was "vile."

Twenty20 captain Stuart Broad had said that they felt painful stay in the same hotel as Pakistan during the World Cup.

"Strauss himself has described dishonesty as a "cancer" in cricket, but will try to make sure his players remain listening carefully on beating Pakistan without distractions. He will hold a team conference at the start of the tour in the New Year and spell out the need to avoid any simmering rifts," a media report said.

A team insider said England will try to treat the series as "business as usual", the report in 'Sun' added.

England is listed to play three-Tests, four ODIs and three Twenty20 matches next to Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

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Shane Watson needs life prohibit on fixers

Australia vice captain Shane Watson feels life bans should be handed out to dishonest cricketers to send out a strong signal to others.

Watson's explanation came after three Pakistani cricketers-- Salman Butt, Mohhamed Asif and Mohammad Amir -- were sentence to jail after being found guilty in a spot-fixing scandal.

Former captain Butt was sentence to two-and-a-half years while fast bowlers Asif and Amir received 12 and six-month terms respectively.

"In the end, I think a life ban is surely sufficient to be able to say to people that it's the wrong thing to do. It's challenging the truthfulness and taking the game of cricket down," said Watson.

"Whether it's jail, whether it's a life [playing] ruling, there's no doubt that the punishments are very severe for doing the wrong thing. Since I first started playing, you know that if you do something wrong in that look upon you won't be playing cricket ever again," he said.

The burly all-rounder said the Pakistani trio has got the action they deserve for their action.

"It's very unsatisfactory when you see the things that have happen in England with the Pakistan guys and, in the end, they deserve the sentence that they do get because they've done the wrong thing in a big way.

"For me for myself, it's given me an amazing life and something I only still dreamed of, so I would never would want to do anything that even question the aptitude for me to be able to play the game that I love so much," he told Australian Associated Press.

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