Mohammad Amir doesn't see any realistic chances of him playing in the 2015 ODI World Cup

Mohammad Amir is currently serving a 5-year ban from cricket

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir, who is currently serving a 5-year ban for spot-fixing, has said that he has little hope of returning in time for the 2015 ICC 50-over World Cup, taking place in February-March, in Australia and New Zealand. While Amir’s ban ends only in September 2015, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have been endeavouring to persuade the International Cricket Council (ICC) to reduce his ban and allow him to resume playing cricket later this year.

Process to reduce ban will take time

The 22-year old is thankful to the PCB for trying to reduce his 5-year ban but feels that chances of the ICC doing so are miniscule.

“I don’t see myself playing in the World Cup. It is not realistic. Because all these things have to go through a process. I am just grateful to the cricket board for taking up my case. I will be ready whenever I am given the chance to resume training or playing,” Amir said on a Pakistani talk show.

Amir was given a ban of five years by the ICC’s anti-corruption unit in early 2011, but his ban is counted from the time that the ICC suspended him from all cricket related activities, which was in September 2010 after the spot-fixing scandal broke out during Pakistan’s tour in England in August 2010.

Young cricketers need mentoring

Amir admitted that he lost his way in the glitz of fame and money and urged the PCB to mentor young cricketers so that they don’t make the same mistakes that he ended up doing.

“What I did was wrong and I got lost in all the fame and wealth. I went down the wrong path. They are people who try to lure cricketers down the wrong path and into corruption and they need to be stopped.

“I would suggest to the PCB to appoint a committee of senior players who can be tasked with keeping a watch on young players in domestic cricket and also in the national team and who can groom and educate these players on how to avoid the pitfalls of world cricket,” the left-arm quick said.

He went on to add that, although, senior players can educate the younger players about the downside to the fame and glamour that is part of being an international player, the onus is ultimately on the individual to know what is right and wrong.

“Seniors can play a big role in educating the new players. But at the end it is also a fact that as an individual one has to be honest with oneself. If you are honest than no one can touch you,” he concluded.