The Aamer Situation

[vcs]

I think only the non-involvement of Tendulkar from that controversy kept a lot of Indian fans going... if he had been implicated somehow (God forbid!), I think Indian cricket would never have recovered.

As it was, I don't think it fully recovered from the scars until that epic India-Australia series in 2001. Not in my mind, at least, and a lot of other fans of my age.

 

[Debris]

There has been some suggestion that there were threats against friends and family as well as the money. Is this credible at all?

 

[G.I.Joe]

Nah, they're unrelated incidents.

 

[Uppercut]

He agreed to take money, that's not doing nothing at all. That he didn't go through with it or collect lessens the offence substantially but only from 'life ban' to 'indefensible'. He claims he was just having too much fun and not a few people thought that was bollocks.



Meh, I only ever hear about Gibbs any more on here, tbh. And not that often. Very few casual fans I know have even heard of Cronje, even less remember Salim Malik and I'd hazard a guess that not one remembers what Gibbs did or agreed to do, let alone guys like Azhar.

*shrugs*

I guess we're on other sides of the planet. It's not uncommon for someone in Ireland to respond to me mentioning that I'm a big cricket fan with, "but sure is it not all fixed?", especially when South Africa are involved. Maybe it's changed with Ireland's recent success. But what else would cricket have made the front page for in Ireland over the past 20 years?

 

[Langeveldt]

Former Pakistan coach, Geoff Lawson has expressed sympathy for Amir.

"For me, it would be a great tragedy if a young man such as Amir, a shining light of hope, has been led astray, Pakistan's socio-economic situation needed to be taken into account before rushing in to judge the alleged actions of its cricketers."

"We must remember that we are judging these guys by the standards of our own country, when their situations are vastly different, The first time I met Mohammad Amir was when he was 16, coming to an Under-19s camp. He comes from a small village near the Swat valley and was delayed by three hours because the Taliban had closed the highway. That doesn't happen in this country."

"We should consider that a cricketer might not be thinking of personal gain but of getting money to buy a generator for his village because they don't have electricity."

"The Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt is not a leader, he should not have the job, he is incapable."

Read full story - Mohammad Amir earns sympathy amid scandal

So all of a sudden, his socio-economic background makes it fine? People are actually defending him? If he'd turned into an 18 year old pickpocket because of his "socio-economic background" would that be fine? What if he wasn't such a fine bowler? He's not the first person to play cricket from a humble background.. Perhaps his village needs a generator, but what about the thousands of fans who paid hard earned money to watch games he has possibly tainted?

 

[PhoenixFire]

So all of a sudden, his socio-economic background make it fine? People are actually defending him? If he'd turned into an 18 year old pickpocket because of his "socio-economic background" would that be fine? What if he wasn't such a fine bowler? He's not the first person to play cricket from a humble background..

It makes it more understandable. It doesn't make it right. Nobody is saying that we should just forget about it because he is poor or whatever, I just think it's very important to understand the mentality of someone who did something like this when deciding on their punishment.

 

[Langeveldt]

It makes it more understandable. It doesn't make it right. Nobody is saying that we should just forget about it because he is poor or whatever, I just think it's very important to understand the mentality of someone who did something like this when deciding on their punishment.

Fair.. But there is still a danger of legitimizing the whole sordid affair if you start making things more lenient for the Ntinis, Munafs and Aamers.. The last thing we need is double standards when the integrity of a whole sport is on the line..

 

[Son Of Coco]

Yeah, grounding him should do it.

And he must owe about a year's worth of homework ....

 

[Shri]

There has been some suggestion that there were threats against friends and family as well as the money. Is this credible at all?

Craigos would be right this time when says rip to his friends and family.

 

[Daemon]

Fair.. But there is still a danger of legitimizing the whole sordid affair if you start making things more lenient for the Ntinis, Munafs and Aamers.. The last thing we need is double standards when the integrity of a whole sport is on the line..

Agreed.

Do you honestly want international cricket to turn into some kind of reality show?

 

[pakster]

So all of a sudden, his socio-economic background makes it fine? People are actually defending him? If he'd turned into an 18 year old pickpocket because of his "socio-economic background" would that be fine? What if he wasn't such a fine bowler? He's not the first person to play cricket from a humble background.. Perhaps his village needs a generator, but what about the thousands of fans who paid hard earned money to watch games he has possibly tainted?

Whilst not wishing to condone Amir's actions, let's not compare the needs of wealthy cricket spectators to those of poor 3rd world villagers. The latter group are infinitely more disadvantaged.

That aside, the possible defences for Amir seem credible.

1. He is an uneducated 18 year old thrust into the public limelight. The best of people, with the best education and guidance often succumb to the pressures and opportunities associated with fame. Case in point the hundreds of young western celebrities who get caught doing something stupid on a regular basis.

2. He bowled a fantastic spell after the no-ball, which suggests that he was in no way trying to alter the outcome of the match by underperforming.

3. He is an international cricketer, but he earns less money than most UK graduates.

4. He has grown up in a country where this type of thing is endemic; from low-level police bribes, to presidential kick-backs. He is a product of a terribly corrupt environment where this type of thing is the norm; despite this, he is being made a scapegoat for the sins of a nation. One cant help but have some sympathy.

---

BUT...he should still be banned. Not permanently though. People commit far worse crimes and get off after a few years in jail.

 

[Jono]

BUT...he should still be banned. Not permanently though. People commit far worse crimes and get off after a few years in jail.

A person who steals from their workplace may only get 5 years in jail, but they're never allowed back to their workplace.

Cricket is their career, and they've cheated their employers. It's not the same as taking away someone's freedom.

 

[Uppercut]

A person who steals from their workplace may only get 5 years in jail, but they're never allowed back to their workplace.

Cricket is their career, and they've cheated their employers. It's not the same as taking away someone's freedom.

Exactly. Besides, opportunities to play international cricket are limited. For every match Amir plays in the future, another Pakistani cricketer- who did nothing wrong- will miss out on an opportunity to represent his country at his expense. That's just a bit sick, really.

I'd be in favour of leniency with regards to the legal aspect of this case. But I can't see how it would be tenable for a cricketing board to employ such players again.

 

[Langeveldt]

A person who steals from their workplace may only get 5 years in jail, but they're never allowed back to their workplace.

Cricket is their career, and they've cheated their employers. It's not the same as taking away someone's freedom.

So, a five year ban and never allowed to play international cricket again? Sounds fair to me if found guilty

 

[Matt79]

He's not exactly being made a scapegoat either. Butt and Asif are also in the gun, and the middle-man is facing criminal charges. Being punished /= scapegoating.

 

[Quaggas]

4. He has grown up in a country where this type of thing is endemic; from low-level police bribes, to presidential kick-backs. He is a product of a terribly corrupt environment where this type of thing is the norm; despite this, he is being made a scapegoat for the sins of a nation. One cant help but have some sympathy.

Someone's trying to do something about it

I PAID A BRIBE

 

[Athlai]

4'000 pounds for 19 wickets @ 18.36
10'000 pounds for a no ball

:

 

[Faisal1985]

DAWN.COM | Cricket | Aamer's coach, family say he is innocent

 

[PhoenixFire]

Well they're hardly going to come out and say that he's guilty are they?

 

[Faisal1985]

^ Ofcourse not. But what interested me was what Amir told them....again highly unlikely he would admit to it as well. But the face readings of him for all this while have been of guilt.