Teenage Pakistan paceman Mohammad Aamer faces an uncertain future following his release from jail this week after serving half of a six-month-sentence for his role in a spot-fixing scandal. The 19-year-old's burgeoning career was cut short when he pleaded guilty to charges of corruption in a scandal that surfaced in August 2010 and rocked the sporting world.
Aamer, once considered the hottest property in international cricket after a rapid rise from village boy to famed bowler, now knows nothing about what life has in store for him. He emerged on the scene in 2009, regarded as a better left-arm paceman than the legendary Wasim Akram at the same age. With 51 wickets in just 14 Tests, Aamer was on the verge of getting the ICC emerging player award in 2010 - but his career and life then derailed.
The charges were related to bowling deliberate no-balls by Aamer and pace partner Mohammad Asif in a Lord's Test against England, contrived with then captain Salman Butt and trio's agent Mazhar Majeed in return for big money. The International Cricket Council (ICC) banned the trio for a minimum of five years while a UK court last year sent Aamer to jail for six months, Asif for 12, Butt for 30 and Majeed for 32.
That scandal not only destroyed three top class careers but also shook the cricket world which demanded stricter penalties and measures to curb corruption, with many people feeling sympathy for the young Aamer. As soon as Aamer was released from prison on Wednesday, speculation started about whether his career can be reignited.
Aamer's former lawyer, Shahid Karim, believes the paceman can appeal against the ICC ban in the Switzerland based Court of Arbitration for Sports, however some experts believe his pleading guilty means he cannot. Former Pakistan paceman Waqar Younis backed a reduction in the ban but there is no such provision in the ICC code in which the minimum penalty is a five-year-ban.
Former England captain Mike Brearley, also part of ICC's Task Team on Pakistan, showed sympathy for Aamer. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi said Aamer will have to undergo a rehabilitation programme under ICC's Anti-Corruption and Safety Unit (ACSU).