Amir’s village innings investigated

Amir, walking out to bat during the Lord’s Test last year, was caught playing for a village team [GALLO/GETTY]

A broken ban and a broken window were dominating the cricket news as suspended Pakistan bowler Mohammad Amir was caught out playing for a sleepy English village side.

England wicketkeeper Matt Prior, meanwhile, was ticked off for smashing a pane of glass with his bat after being dismissed during the drawn second Test with Sri Lanka at Lord’s on Tuesday.

Amir is being investigated after playing for a amateur club side Addington 1743 CC in a league match on Saturday despite his five-year suspension for spot-fixing, which applies to all official cricket.

The pace bowler, 19, was banned for a minimum of five years along with teammates Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt by an International Cricket Council (ICC) tribunal in February for bowling deliberate no balls during a Lord’s Test match last year.

The case is going through the criminal courts.

“I was informed by club representatives before the game that it was a friendly match, being played on a privately owned cricket ground. I asked the club representatives if the match fell under the jurisdiction of the ECB and they informed me that the match did not,” Amir was quoted as saying by cricket website pakpassion.net.

“I would not be stupid enough to knowingly play in a match that I knew would contravene my ban.”

Scorecard

The website of Surrey Cricket League Division One team Addington 1743 CC was showing a scorecard on which a Mohammad Amir scored 60 with the bat and took four for nine off seven overs against St Luke’s.

“We are aware of the reports and we are looking into it,” ICC spokesman James Fitzgerald said on Wednesday.

Prior apologises after breaking a window [GALLO/GETTY]

British newspapers quoted players as saying they are sure it was the banned Amir turning out for the amateur team.

“The ECB has been notified of an allegation that Mohammad Amir, the Pakistan international cricketer who is the subject of ongoing criminal proceedings in the English courts, played in a Surrey Cricket League Division 1 cricket match on 4 June 2011 for Addington (1743) CC against St Lukes CC,” an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) statement said.

“The ECB is investigating and liaising with the ICC as appropriate, but in light of the ongoing criminal proceedings, the ECB will not be making any further public comment about this matter.”

The club were not immediately available to comment.

England’s Prior was reprimanded by the ICC but escaped a fine after breaking a window in the Lord’s Pavilion following his run on Tuesday.

The wicketkeeper-batsman was upset by his dismissal and threw his bat in the dressing room.

It bounced off other bats and smashed a window, sprinkling glass on spectators with one suffering minor cuts.

“Matt knows that his action was in breach of the code and he should be more careful in future. That said, it was clear that the damage he caused was purely accidental and without malice,” ICC match referee Javagal Srinath said in a statement on Wednesday.

“It’s also noted that he apologised to the ground authority for the incident.”