LAHORE — New Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur has promised to do everything in his power to help disgraced paceman Mohammad Amir realize his full potential after the bowler was granted a visa for the team’s upcoming tour of England.
Amir will return to England six years after a spot-fixing scandal in a Lord’s Test resulted in bans and jail sentences for the then teenage bowler and his former teammates Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif.
“He served his time, he’s done it,” Arthur, who coached Amir at Karachi Kings in Pakistan Super League (PSL), said in his first news conference since succeeding Waqar Younis in the post.
“I had Amir in the PSL, he was a fantastic professional. Other stuff is not relevant to me. The stuff that’s relevant to me is making Mohammad Amir the best he can possibly be as a cricketer.”
Amir’s return after serving a five-year ban was initially resented by some of his teammates but the 24-year-old left-arm paceman has enjoyed steady support from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
“People can say what they like, it’s got nothing to do with me,” Arthur said. “If Mohammad Amir is picked in the Pakistan cricket team, which he has been for the England tour, it’s my role as head coach to make him the best possible player that he can possibly be.”
Pakistan will play four Tests, five one-dayers and a Twenty20 International in England between July 14 and Sept. 7.
Arthur had a largely successful five-year stint as South Africa coach that ended in 2010 but endured an eventful two years with the Australian team until his sacking in 2013.
His new role puts him in charge of an often fractious group of skilled individuals but Arthur is ready for the challenge.
“For me, I wanted to coach in the Subcontinent at some stage in my coaching career because if you haven’t coached in the Subcontinent, you haven’t really coached,” the 48-year-old said.
Arthur said Pakistan, currently third in the Test rankings, needs to do better in limited overs cricket and stressed the need to invest in players with long-term prospects.
New Zealand picks
Indian-born opener
New Zealand Friday named Indian-born opening batsman Jeet Raval in the squad for the upcoming four-Test tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Raval was the only uncapped player named in the 16-man Black Caps’ squad, which also features the recall of Indian-born spinner Ish Sodhi after a two year absence.
The 27-year-old Raval was a junior player in India before moving to New Zealand with his family in 2004.
He averages 43.85 in first-class cricket and hit a rich vein of form for the Auckland Aces in this year’s domestic competition, including an unbeaten 202 against Otago.
Raval will be competing for an opening spot with Martin Guptill and Tom Latham, neither of whom have looked convincing against the new ball in the Test arena.
New Zealand will play two Tests against Zimbabwe in Harare, starting on July 29 and August 6 respectively.
It then goes to South Africa for Tests in Durban and Centurion, starting on Aug. 19 and Aug. 27.
New Zealand squad: Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Mark Craig, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Luke Ronchi, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson (captain). — Agencies
