Akram disappointed over Mohammad Amir's career going off the rails

Former Pakistan cricket captain Wasim Akram has expressed his disappointment over fast bowler Mohammad Amir's international career going off the rails because of a spot fixing scandal last year in England.

Talking to the Daily Times while on visit to Canada recently, Akram said: "Yes, very disappointed. What a talent. He was just starting to become an incredible bowler, someone who can bat, and a tremendous fielder. He had both swing and reverse-swing, he had pace. It's very disheartening to not see such a talent playing cricket right now."
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When asked whether Amir could make a comeback after five years, Akram said: "I hope so. He's only 19 or 20 years old. He should come back. Everybody makes mistakes. He was very young and he did get punished for it."

"Once he finishes his ban we should have him in first-class cricket straightaway and then into the Pakistan team. It will show that, yes, he made a mistake, he was punished, and he has been forgiven. We have to then move on. It will be tough for Amir, but knowing him, he'll practise every day," he added.
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On Pakistanis not playing the Indian Premier League for the last three years, the former fast bowler said he was disappointed.

"They (Pakistan) were the world champions and there were some very good players in that Pakistan side. I think eventually the IPL has to have them back, because these guys are really good. We have two or three players who are excellent for the format. Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Umar Akmal, Afridi - these are all game-changers. It's not about being Pakistani - just as a cricketer I'd want to see these guys because they can make a difference to any team," Akram said.

"T20 should be taken as entertainment. You can't pick up a player's quality from it. That has to come from Test cricket. The aim for players should be to play Test cricket, not just T20. If you're good at Test cricket, every other format will follow automatically. That's what we have to instill in youngsters coming in," he added.

He also described the IPL experience as exceptional, especially with the Kolkata Knightriders (as bowling coach).

"The captain, Gautam Gambhir, and the coach, Dav Whatmore, have been very professional and very thorough, and the owner of the team Shah Rukh Khan has been exceptional as far as his leadership is concerned. He knows cricket but he stays quiet, letting the specialists handle what's their forte. So if anything comes up in marketing, he'll handle that, but if it's cricket, then he leaves it up to Gautam, Dav and myself. I believe that's why the team has really gelled well this year," he said.

He also said that there was potential for Canada to be recognized as an international cricket powerhouse in the near future.

"I think there should be regular sessions here, not one-offs, if one is trying to help cricket. The Royal Bank of Canada [RBC] has taken the initiative to do this and I hope that they continue calling on top players to come and have a look [at Canadian talent] and guide them how to train and compete at the highest level," he said.