Published: Jul 09, 2016, 01:14 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 09, 2016, 01:16 PM (IST)
Former England off-spinner Graeme Swann has blasted Mohammad Aamer, calling the Pakistan pacer a cheat. Aamer will return to Test action against England at Lord’s, the very same venue where he and teammates Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif were guilty of spot-fixing. All the three players were convicted, with Aamer receiving a 5-year ban, Asif was handed a 7-year ban and Butt received 10-year ban. Swann, who was a part of the English team back then, feels no sympathy for Aamer. Citing example of Lou Vincent, Swann conceded that the ban wasn’t enough to serve justice. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: England vs Pakistan, 1st Test at Lord’s
Despite many cricketers coming out and backing Aamer, Swann has no sympathy for the player. In his column for thesun.co.uk, he wrote, ” MOHAMMAD AAMER will walk out on the green and glorious turf at Lord’s on Thursday — and it will make me feel sick. This is a man who crushed the morality of the game. And yet he is being allowed back to play at the Home of Cricket.”
“Aamer should have been banned for life for his part in the corruption scandal of 2010. He is an incredibly talented bowler — he took 6-84 in that infamous Lord’s Test six years ago — but that does not excuse what he did. No matter how good you are, if you sell your soul for 30 pieces of silver, you have to pay the consequences. And I don’t think he has.” ALSO READ: Atherton: Hope Aamer gets good reception in England
Swann gave the example of Lou Vincent, and stated Aamer doesn’t deserve a comeback in cricket. “Sure, people make mistakes but, if cricket is going to allow a corrupt player back after five years and earn a lot of money for the next ten years, that isn’t setting the right example. I believe Aamer could have been given a job educating youngsters, warning them of the dangers of corruption and telling them not to make the same mistakes he did. That could have been his way back into the game.”
“He’s said all the right things about being contrite. But Hansie Cronje was contrite after getting caught. Is Aamer sorry? Or is he sorry he was caught? When you look at the way the former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent has been eviscerated for coming clean and trying to do the right thing, the soft treatment of Aamer seems even more wrong.”
“Sure, Vincent did some bad things. He tried to fix cricket matches. In the end, however, he admitted everything. Now he has been banned for life, he’s not allowed at cricket grounds or even to watch his kids play. By contrast, Aamer will open the bowling for Pakistan at Lord’s.”
