PCB submits Amir’s British visa application

KARACHI — Pakistan cricket authorities Friday submitted a British visa application for spot-fixing convict Mohammad Amir, with officials hopeful of a favorable ruling that will allow him to tour England in July. The left-arm quick was sentenced to six months in an English young offender institution in 2011 after pleading guilty to corruption charges for his role in spot-fixing during the Lord’s Test of 2010 — a conviction which could result in him being denied entry. Amir, along with his then captain Salman Butt and fellow bowler Mohammad Asif, were also handed five-year playing bans. Now 24, he has made a relatively successful return to the side and Pakistan is eager to use him as a key weapon during the England tour where it plays four Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20. “Amir’s visa application was submitted today at (the) UK High Commission in Islamabad. He completed the process of the application,” a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) release said. Immigration lawyers told The Daily Telegraph last month Amir’s case would depend on whether his admission into the country would be contrary to the public good, and would remain at the discretion of the immigration officer dealing with his application. Legal sources said Amir’s case was different from Butt and Asif’s as he was not deported from England after being released in February 2012. PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan said he hopes Amir’s case would be considered on sympathetic grounds. “I have written a letter to High Commissioner seeking special and sympathetic consideration on Amir’s visa,” he told AFP. “The England and Wales Cricket Board is also assisting and are in touch with their Home department, so we hope for a positive response,” added Khan, who is also a former Pakistani envoy to Great Britain. Pakistan will play two side games before the first Test starts at Lord’s on July 14. Fledgling UAE Twenty20 league vows to pay overdue wages The CEO of a fledgling Twenty20 cricket league for retired greats in the UAE Friday promised its players will receive their final wages that were due more than two months ago and vowed the competition would return next year. The Masters Champions League (MCL), which boasted West Indies batsmen Brian Lara and Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan among its ranks, staged its maiden season in Dubai and Sharjah from Jan. 28-Feb. 13. The MCL sold six franchises for a combined $90 million, with each team named after an astrological sign. This sextet pledged about $5.5 million in player wages, but only one team — Gemini Arabians — has paid its players in full, MCL Chief Executive Zarah Shah told Reuters. The other teams’ players are owed their final wage packet, which was due 30 days after the tournament finished, said Shah. Shah said the delay was because the clubs had cash flow issues and were most likely waiting for money from sponsors. — Agencies