Former Pakistani fast bowler, Shoaib Akhtar has advised tainted left arm pace bowler Mohammad Amir to remain humble on the upcoming England tour and blend in with his teammates in order to sustain the pressure he will face in England playing there for the first time since the spot-fixing scandal in 2010.
“The best way for Amir to counter is to perform on the field which I am sure he can do. But he also has to remain humble and not show attitude. He has to blend in with his teammates and win matches for them.
“He has to realise that this is a god sent opportunity for him. He has got a second shot at playing for Pakistan. He has to realise this is not an interval in a movie because if he makes another mistake he will be finished for life.”
Agreeing to English skipper Alastair comments, Akhtar said that the tainted pacer will be “under scanner” from different quarters. He advised the team management to handle the players well so that the players can focus on playing.
“He should have no doubt he will be under the scanner all the time from different quarters,” he said on a talk show.
“There will be pressure from the media and if something goes wrong there will be a backlash from the media. But the management must realise this is not Amir’s tour it is Pakistan’s tour and if Amir wins matches for Pakistan it will be the best revenge for him,” he added.
Akhtar, who represented Pakistan in 46 Tests and 163 ODIs, said that it is impossible to wipe out corruption from cricket.
“It is impossible because there will always be some black sheep somewhere.”
Akhtar recalled that match-fixing allegations had always been a problem for Pakistan cricket and he had played at the peak of these allegations. However, he said that the allegations had a little truth in them.
“But at times I felt there was a lot of myth than truth to what was said about our players at that time. But it happens and can happen anywhere.”
The former pacer also said that Pakistan has the quality to spring a surprise in England.
“I think our bowling attack is perfectly capable of springing a surprise and our batting is pretty experienced. I don’t think England will prepare a seaming track for the first test at Lord’s. I think they will wait and see what this Pakistan team is capable off and its attitude.”