Amir ‘seems sorry and keen to get back’

Cricket365
September 21, 2015

England fast bowler Stuart Broad says he would have had no problems facing disgraced Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir if he'd been picked for their upcoming Test series, and says the paceman has served his time.

Amir, along with Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, served five-year bans for spot fixing, which they carried out in 2010 at Lord's. There was speculation that Amir, now only 23, could make a return to the national side already.

While he wasn't picked for the UAE series, he could play in England when Pakistan visit next year, and Broad says he would have no problem with that, and that opposition players blend together in the end.

Broad told Cricinfo: "I genuinely don't know what it'll be like [facing him again]. There was obviously quite a big cloud over that Test series victory in 2010.

"But the ICC gave the players punishments and they are getting close to having served them. I've seen a few interviews that he's done and he seems sorry and keen to get back on a cricket field.

"But as a player you are not too bothered who you are playing against, to be honest, you go a bit internal and focus on what you do."

Not paying attention to Amir is part of a more general plan, Broad says, and that they've been trying to pay less attention to what their opponents are getting up to, and focusing on their own games.

He added: "I think the mistakes we made as an England team this summer were maybe when we focused on the Australians too much and what other teams were doing.

"We've definitely learned from that mistake and it'll be very much about what we are doing within our changing room. What our team are doing to take us forward.

"Whoever we are playing against we'll be right on the money."