Daily Times

LAHORE: Fast bowler Mohammad Amir’s departure for the Pakistan cricket team’s tour of Ireland and Britain has been delayed due to a problem in obtaining his visa. “Amir could not travel with the team,” a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Monday. “There’s some procedural issue which I hope will be resolved by Wednesday.” The spokesman could not elaborate what exactly the issue was, but he was optimistic that Amir would get his visa within two days. It has been reported in media that Amir had already applied for a longer term spouse visa because his wife is a British national and that could lead to him getting a British passport.

This is not the first time that Amir has had a delay in obtaining a visa. During Pakistan team’s last tour of England two years ago he faced a similar problem before the PCB sought help from the England and Wales Cricket Board. Amir was banned for five years in 2010 for his involvement in spot-fixing and also served a brief stint in jail in England for the same offence.

Amir is the most experienced member of an inexperienced pace attack, ahead of what will be his third bilateral tour of England. Last year he played county cricket for Essex and was also in London for the birth of his first child (as well as for the Champions Trophy). Pakistan will play one Test match against Ireland in Dublin before travelling to England for a two-Test series. The tour will end in June with two Twenty20s against Scotland.

Published in Daily Times, April 24^th 2018.