‘Forgiveness isn't in my book’: Ramiz Raja slams Mohammad Amir after Pakistan pacer reverses international retirement

Former Pakistan batter Ramiz Raja tore into pacer Mohammad Amir, saying a “tainted” cricketer like him should never have been allowed to make an international return after being found guilty of spot-fixing, and that he would’ve disowned his own son had he been found guilty of corruption.

Raja’s comments came days after Amir, who had been jailed for his role in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal, reversed his international retirement and made himself available for selection for the Pakistan team in the build-up to the T20 World Cup that takes place in West Indies and USA in June. Besides Amir, spin-bowling all-rounder Imad Wasim too came out of international retirement hoping to represent the team in the upcoming mega event.

Raja, however, has remained consistently critical of Amir’s presence in the Pakistan team and maintained he should not be allowed back into the side despite his U-turn.

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“My views on Mohammad Amir are very straightforward. I haven’t taken an oath to fix cricket, but I believe it’s important for society and fans to understand. When he was involved in fixing, I was commentating at Lord’s, and I could feel the intense hatred directed towards me because I was identifying the fixers. The amount of criticism I faced from the media during that time is something I can never forget.

“Wherever tainted cricketers exist in the world, they are usually expelled. While I sympathise with them, forgiveness isn’t in my book. If, God forbid, my son had done such a thing, I would disown him,” Raja told Pakistani TV news channel Suno News.

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Raja had maintained his stance against Amir’s inclusion in the Pakistan team during his tenure as the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) between September 2021 and December 2022, during which the left-arm was not part of the Pakistani team.

Amir’s last international appearance was during the T20I series against England in August 2020, shortly after the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. He had also represented Pakistan in the 2019 ICC World Cup in England.