NEW ZEALAND CRICKET has been forced to apologise to Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir after a cash register sound effect was played as he ran in to bowl during a recent Twenty20 international.
23-year-old Amir is playing his first series back after receiving a five-year ban and a three-month prison sentence for his involvement in a spot-fixing scam which rocked the sport in 2010.
Mark McLeod, the stadium announcer at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium, played the sound of a cash register opening as the bowler prepared to begin one of his spells last Friday.
“I think [playing the sound effect] was inappropriate and disrespectful, and has the effect of trivialising one of the biggest issues facing cricket at the moment,” New Zealand Cricket CEO, David White, said.
“I’ve contacted the Pakistan team management to apologise, and to assure them there will be no repeat.”
Amir was one of two Pakistan bowlers convicted of deliberating bowling no-balls during a Test series in England in 2010, while the then captain Salman Butt was handed a 30-month prison sentence.
The left-arm fast-bowler has returned to the national team for the first time since the News of the World uncovered the widespread spot-fixing scandal and has received a mixed reception from fans.
During Monday’s ODI at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, security staff had to step in when a spectator waved money towards Amir on the boundary.
Butt and Mohammed Amir have also returned to professional cricket following the lifting of their bans by the International Cricket Council with both playing domestically in Pakistan.
