SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 2016 SPORTS Pakistan’s Amir backs life bans for fixers KARACHI: Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir carried out by a tabloid newspaper. for Test cricket because that is where my past and those incidents won’t come times but you are professional only if said match-fixers should be banned for But Cook said earlier this month that career was held back and I still can’t back to haunt me, but I am looking at it you handle any kind of situation wisely. life as he prepares to return to Test crick- he had no problem playing against believe that this is happening. “You call positively as I want to replace the past It’s my duty to be focused on the game,” et at Lord’s, where an infamous 2010 Amir, who has served his ban and it a coincidence or whatever but for me with a better future. he said. spot-fixing scandal landed him a jail returned to international cricket in it’s a blessing that I am restarting (Tests) “My memory still holds those “Sledging is a part of the game and it term and a five-year ban. January. Amir and new-ball partner right at Lord’s from where I stopped in moments from 2010 but I want to per- indeed isn’t new. But I don’t want to The fast bowler backed comments Mohammad Asif bowled no-balls to 2010.” form well, want to get my name (on) the think a lot about this. I will think about from England captain Alastair Cook, order on the instructions of their cap- honour board at Lord’s once again,” said my performance,” added Amir. Amir who said anyone caught match-fixing tain Salman Butt. All three received five- ‘MY REAL COMEBACK’ Amir, whose haul of 6-84 in the tainted also said his experiences had made him should be thrown out of the sport for year bans and, together with sports Amir’s pace and wicket-taking ability Test of 2010 features on the honours a stronger person than he was before good. “If fixing is still happening then agent Mazhar Majeed, jail terms. Since make him an automatic choice for the board, where outstanding play is chron- the events of 2010, when he was still a it’s really alarming,” Amir said in an inter- his ban expired, Amir has played only Test series opener from July 14, when he icled. Amir also said he will be ready for teenager. “I went through tough times view before his departure for the four- limited-overs matches,but now he will hopes to be able to put his past behind on-field sledging and the inevitable which actually taught me a lot of good Test tour of England. “I fully back that come full circle with a Test return at him. “I may have registered my come- chants by England fans. At a Twenty20 lessons and now I am much stronger fixers should be banned for life.” Lord’s-a twist of fate that he called a back months ago but Test cricket is international in New Zealand in January than before. I have got enough in my The 24-year-old left-armer can “blessing”. “To be honest I never thought actual cricket, and playing it again is the stadium announcer played the life to stand strong,” he said. Pakistan expect a cool reception from fans at about my comeback and I feel seriously what I was looking forward to and this is sound of a cash register before one of will also play five one-day internationals Lord’s, where he was caught bowling lucky to be back in the role to play Test my real comeback,” said Amir. Amir’s overs. and a Twenty20 international during no-balls to order in a sting operation cricket again,” he said. “I was all excited “I won’t say that I have forgotten my “Crowds in general get nasty some- the tour. —AFP Coe not expecting many Russians to compete in Rio VIENNA: IAAF president Sebastian Coe blanket ban “unfair”. does not believe there are many Russian “Responsibility must always be individ- athletes who will benefit from a loophole ual and those who have no connection to compete in the Rio Olympics. with these violations should not suffer,” said The International Association of the Russian president who, even before the Athletics Federations (IAAF) played hard- announcement of the decision, had denied ball with Russia on Friday, extending a ban all allegations of “organised stage doping” first imposed in November over state-spon- by Russia. sored doping and mass corruption in “We ourselves are outraged when we’re Russian athletics. But the door was left faced with doping problems, and we work slightly ajar for Russian athletes training to ensure that those guilty are punished. outside the country to apply to compete as But the clean athletes, as they say, why neutrals at the August 5-21 Olympics in should they suffer? I really don’t under- Brazil. The number of Russian track and stand.” But Andersen countered: “The state- field stars likely to meet the strict criteria ment that there must be clean athletes in required by the IAAF seems incredibly Russia, we don’t disagree with. small. “You shouldn’t run away with the “There might be clean athletes in Russia, idea that this is a large number,” Coe said in but they’ve been under a system which is the wake of the IAAF Council’s unanimous not clean and which we can’t be sure it has- decision to extend the ban on Russia. n’t undertaken sufficient anti-doping work “We have a doping review board and it so that they sufficiently can be said to be will be them that will, on a one-by-one clean. “We have no confidence in the basis, make that judgement as to whether Russian system. How can one say an athlete they meet the eligibility requirements and is clean? A hundred or 200 negative tests they are in systems that are safe and secure doesn’t mean you’re clean. “If you’re sub- and we can guarantee them. ject to another system that is comprehen- “Some of those athletes may well be sive and recognised as a strong anti-doping Russian athletes living outside of Russia for system, you say ‘ok, you’ve undergone a an appropriate period of time in safe secure number of tests, you’re under this system, effective systems but there may be others we believe in this system, it’s code compli- who are not. ant, everything is in place: a national anti- HARARE: Zimbabwe’s Elton Chigumbura, left, plays a shot as Indian wicketkeeper MS Dhoni fields, during the T20 International cricket match “They need to apply and we will look at doping agency and strict control’, then we between Zimbabwe and India at Harare Sports Club, yesterday. — AP them by a one-by-one basis.” Rune believe you might be clean.” Andersen, the Norwegian at the head of Coe insisted that it was the IAAF and not the IAAF Taskforce charged with investigat- the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ing doping in Russian athletics, added: “If that had jurisdiction over eligibility, while Chigumbura blasts Zimbabwe there are any athletes out there who com- acknowledging that some athletes such as ply with this tiny chance of competing star pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva will under a neutral flag, they can do it immedi- appeal the ban at the Court of Arbitration to win over India in Twenty20 ately. “They have to apply for an exception for Sport. so that they bring forward issues in the “The IAAF is responsible for eligibility HARARE: Elton Chigumbura smashed an unbeaten 54 rule: that they have undergone doping criteria for international competition and it from 26 balls as Zimbabwe stunned India with a two run SCOREBOARD control, that they’ve been subject to a cred- resides with the IAAF,” Coe said. “I’ll be at win in the first Twenty20 International at the Harare Sports ible system for anti-doping control for an the Olympic summit in Lausanne on Club yesterday. Chigumbura pummelled seven sixes as he HARARE: Scoreboard for the first Twenty20 international between Zimbabwe and India yesterday in appropriate period of time and then the Tuesday. We have a very close working rela- took Zimbabwe to 170 for six in their 20 overs having been Harare: committee within the IAAF will decide tionship with the IOC. It’s hardly a surprise sent into bat by the tourists. India lost opener Lokesh Rahul Zimbabwe India whether that is sufficient. “That rule as we’re the biggest Olympic federation, a on his Twenty20 debut in the first ball of their reply, but ensures that there is an opening for those fifth of all the competitors at an Olympics C. Chibhabha b Dhawan 20 KL Rahul b Tiripano 0 they went into the final over from seamer Neville Madziva H. Masakadza c Dhoni b Bumrah 25 Mandeep Singh c Mutombodzi b Chibhabha 31 who can really demonstrate this.” are athletes. needing eight to win. “The athletes have recourse to appeal in R. Mutumbami retired hurt 0 A. Rayudu b Chibhabha 19 That was reduced to four off the last ball with Mahendra M. Pandey c Tiripano b Muzarabani 48 ‘UNFAIR’ the CAS, but that’s for them. Our judge- Singh Dhoni on strike, but he could only bludgeon the ball Sikandar Raza run out 20 Russian President Vladimir Putin was ment was made on the basis it was the best M.