Pakistan's star fast bowler Mohammad Amir could be denied a visa for the England tour this summer over his conviction in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal. Amir was found guilty in 2010 of having taken payments for bowling deliberate no-balls in the Lord's Test.
He was subsequently banned by the ICC for a period of five years and sentenced to six months in a young offenders' institute in 2011 after pleading guilty to the charges.
Should Amir be denied a visa for the England tour, it would be a big blow to Pakistan as he has been in fiery form ever since his return. He has appeared in 2 ODIs and 11 T20s after his return, having bagged 16 wickets. He has been in great form in the BPL before making it back to the national side.
British immigration lawyers have told The Daily Telegraph that Amir's case will depend on if his admission into the country would be contrary to the public good. The final decision will depend on the immigration officer dealing with his visa application.
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Amir had faced similar uncertainty earlier this year when the New Zealand immigration officers initially considered withholding his visa before eventually relenting in the face of pressure from the New Zealand and Pakistan cricket boards.
The thing that might eventually work out in Amir's favour regarding the current British visa fiasco is the fact that he was not deported from the country at the end of his sentence.
Unlike him, Salman Butt was deported after his 30-month prison term which will make him ineligible for a British visa for the next ten years. That effectively rules out any chances of Butt making a comeback for the Test series against England this summer.
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