Things are not going in the right direction at Lahore, where the Pakistani cricket team is undergoing a preparatory camp ahead of the New Zealand tour, Asia Cup T20 and the World T20.
The epicenter of the crisis is the inclusion of tainted pacer Mohammad Amir, who was among the 26 probables named for Pakistan's pre-season conditioning camp. Several Pakistani players expressed their views on the inclusion of Amir.
ODI Skipper Azhar Ali and Mohammad Hafeez boycotted the camp due to the presence of Amir before they were convinced by the PCB and later joined their teammates. Last month, Hafeez turned down an offer from BPL side Chittagong Vikings because of the presence of Amir.
Amir broke down in front of his teammates and pleaded them to give him a second chance as Hafeez hugged him and got himself going with the pacer. When everything was going in favour of Amir, Azhar Ali threw a bombshell.
It was reported that Ali sent his resignation to the PCB citing his displeasure to captain a tainted player. But, PCB rejected his resignation and chairman Shahryar Khan had a brief discussion with Ali after which he decided to continue as the captain.
"Azhar Ali met the chairman PCB [Shaharyar Khan]. He tendered his resignation. The chairman didn't accept his resignation, Azhar Ali agreed and he will continue as captain," the PCB said in a statement.
Amir was banned for five years after he, along with former skipper Salman Butt and fellow pacer Mohammad Asif was found guilty of match-fixing during a test against England. Amir’s punishment has come to an end and the ICC has given the nod to the PCB for his involvement in future matches.
While speaking about the actions of Ali and Hafeez, Shahryar Khan said, "I do respect their concerns but some of them, I told them, are not acceptable. So they understood and confirmed that they are on the same page with us."
It is almost certain that Amir will be a part of the Pakistani side for their future assignments.
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