JEDDAH – September 2015 is all Mohammad Amir dreams of and wants to talk about. That is when the disgraced Pakistani fast bowler will be eligible to play for his country following an International Cricket Council (ICC) ban. Amir is in the Kingdom to perform Umra and pray at the Prophet's Mosque. He was in Jeddah Thursday on the invitation of Saudi Cricket Centre, whose officials took him around its facilities and was introduced to Saudi team players. “Pick your company carefully,” was his advice to the players he met. He was speaking out of experience. An ICC tribunal banned Amir along with his teammates Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif in 2011 for their roles in spot fixing in the Lord's Test against England in 2010. While Butt and Asif appealed their bans, Amir opted not to. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) turned down their appeals Wednesday. Asked why he did not appeal the ban, Amir said that was the advice of his lawyers. Amir is serving a five-year ban. The paceman does not blame anyone for his troubles, but appreciated former teammate Shahid Afridi for keeping in touch with him and helping him keep his spirits high. “It is a test and I am trying to make the most of this opportunity to improve myself,” he said. Amir was also grateful to the Pakistan Cricket Board for helping him provide a psychologist, Maqbool Babri. The promising fast bowler seems like a hungry tiger, ready to pounce on any opportunity to play and talk cricket. His eyes lighten up when the discussion turns to the sport. So how is he keeping himself busy these days. “I am studying and practicing privately,” he says. He will be sitting Intermediate exams next month. Other than that he can be found either at a gym or ground near his home where he practices alone or with his mentor Asif Bajwa. Bajwa, who is accompanying Amir on the trip, said the cricketer is mentally very strong. “Very few people know how strong he is from within. He lives and breathes cricket. He can play First-Class cricket at a day's notice. “He will make a comeback, I have no doubt about it. He will be only 23 in 2015 so we all have a lot to look forward to,” he adds. Amir himself hates to talk about the last couple of years. All he says is: “I am learning from this experience. What's done is done. I am looking forward to the time when I can join Pakistan team.” He might be away from the game, but he is keenly keeping an eye on what the players are doing. South Africa seems to be the team on his radar, for he mentioned South Africans Dale Steyn and Francois du Plessis as the players he enjoys watching. He will definitely get a chance to come face-to-face with these and many more class cricketers when he returns to the pitch in a little over two years' time. He is not alone in the wait; most cricket-lovers are also awaiting his return.
