Islamabad: Cricketing great Imran Khan says the suspensions handed to three Pakistani cricketers for spot fixing are necessary for the sake of the sport.
An International Cricket Council (ICC) tribunal banned former Pakistan captain Salman Butt for 10 years, with five years suspended, bowler Mohammad Asif for seven years, with two suspended and teenage pacer Mohammad Aamer for five years.
The trio were charged over incidents during the test against England at Lord’s in August last year, when Britain’s News of the World newspaper claimed the players were willing to deliberately bowl no-balls, reported ABC news.
Khan says he is upset by the bans, but says they are essential for the future of the game. “I am genuinely upset over the bans on three key, young and talented players,” he said.
“But once the players were proven guilty a punishment has to be given for the sake of cricket in general and for the sake of Pakistan cricket in particular. “Khan, who led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 World Cup, says the loss of the three key players will hurt Pakistan’s chances in the upcoming World Cup tournament.
“I feel sad for Aamer, who is probably the best young fast bowler in the world at the moment and had a long way to go,” he said. “Asif is one of the best new ball bowlers and Butt is a solid opener, so with these three key players Pakistan would have done very well in the World Cup, but that is not to be.”Khan says the nation felt humiliated when the corruption case surfaced last year.
“It was great humiliation for the people of Pakistan as the kind of ignominy it brought made people more demoralised than the floods in the country,” he said.
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