andyc
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
But surely Pakistan don't need a player in their ranks who can't be trusted? If it's the welfare of Pakistani cricket we're worried about, we should never have banned Afridi for biting the ball, and Asif, Butt and everyone else should get off scott free as well. People need to be punished for what they've done wrong; there needs to be a deterrent for these sorts of things.Part of it is how great an impact a particular punishment - and everyone's talking about a life ban - would have on the individual. If the player in question were a no-hoper, a life ban would mean the loss of an average-to-crap career, one might almost say an act of mercy (plenty of England players of 1980s/1990s vintage spring to mind). In the case of Amir, it could mean the loss of vastly more. He has the potential to have a stellar career and to go on to become an all-time great. And so what appears to be the same punishment would, in fact, be far harsher on Amir than on the no-hoper.
Another part of it is the long-term impact that this will have on Pakistan cricket. Pakistan cricket is already in a whole heap of trouble (no home matches etc) and Amir is a massively important figure in its survival and development. If his career were to proceed and reach fulfilment his influence could last for a decade or two. Yes we could ban his arse off if we wanted to, but it's not going to do much good for a cricketing nation that currently needs all the help it can get.