Amir among Pakistanis listed for BPL

Fast bowler Mohammad Amir, who served out a five-year ban for his part in spot-fixing scandal, is among 51 Pakistani cricketers listed for the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 tournament, said an official on Friday. Amir completed his ban in September and has already made a return to competitive cricket, taking 27 wickets in last three four-day matches in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy qualifiers. ‘Amir is one of the Pakistani players, who made themselves available for the BPL,’ BPL technical committee member Khaled Mahmud told New Age.

‘He is playing domestic cricket so there is no problem with his participation in BPL,’ said Mahmud.

‘If an ICC clearance is required, the interested franchise will obtain it from them to make him play,’ he said. The BPL players’ lottery will be held on October 31. Each franchise will be able to register seven foreign cricketers but only four will be allowed to play at a time. The highest price for the foreign cricketers is $70,000 while the lowest payment will be $35000. West Indies’ Chris Gayle, Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara are among the stars expected to play in the BPL this time.

Gayle and Sangakkara are unlikely to be auctioned as Sylhet and Dhaka franchises have already struck a deal with them. The six-team BPL will start from November 21 with the opening ceremony scheduled on November 19.