Pak cricket spot-fixer Mohammed Amir to join PCB in fighting corruption

New Delhi, Mar 21 (ANI): The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to use banned fast-bowler Mohammad Amir in fighting corruption and warning the country's cricketers about the ill effects of getting involved in spot-fixing or match-fixing, the board's chief Zaka Ashraf has said.

Amir called on the chairman after being informed of the PCB's plans during the remaining period of his five-year ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Amir returned home three months after being jailed, having served half his sentence over his involvement in a spot-fixing scandal in London in 2010.

According to some reports, Amir's ban handed by the ICC could also be halved and he could be free to play cricket as early as next year, The Express Tribune reports.

The PCB has formulised a plan to keep the fast-bowler on track during the period.

"Along with Amir, three other cricketers will also be part of the rehabilitation process. We are searching for a good psychologist and all four will undergo treatment together," Ashraf said.

He, however, refused to name the other three players, only saying: "Amir will then be used in a programme to lecture other players until his ICC ban ends."

Yesterday, Amir had blamed former captain Salman Butt had betraying their friendship by involving him in the spot-fixing scandal, which eventually led to his imprisonment in a British prison.

Amir again apologised to fans in cricket-crazy Pakistan for his role in the scandal by saying: "I ask for their forgiveness. I messed up."

The highly-rated 19-year-old was released from jail last month after serving half of a six-month sentence for his part in the scandal during the Lord's Test between England and Pakistan in 2010.

His former teammates Butt and Mohammad Asif are serving sentences of 30 and 12 months respectively, handed down by a British court in November, after the trio was found guilty of corruption and receiving illegal money.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) also banned all three players, with Amir receiving the minimum five-year punishment after he was found guilty of deliberately bowling no-balls as part of a plan orchestrated by Butt and agent Mazhar Majeed, also now serving a jail sentence. (ANI)