New Zealand Grants Visa to Mohd. Amir

dynamitanews.com
New Delhi/ 07 Jan. Pakistan bowler Mohammad Amir has been granted a visa to travel to New Zealand for Pakistan's limited overs matches later this month. The 23-year-old was considered one of the fast bowlers in the world before the 2010 spot-fixing scandal that resulted in bans and jail sentences for him. 

He is now cleared to return to the sport by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in September after serving suspensions. 

Considering factors like the support of the New Zealand and Pakistan Cricket Board and the fact that Amir had served his sentence, Immigration New Zealand approved a visa to the bowler.

The left-arm fast bowler's presence in a 26-man training squad for the tour had caused controversy within the Pakistan ranks with one-day captain Azhar Ali offering to resign. The Pakistan Cricket Board rejected Azhar's resignation, though another member of the team, Mohammad Hafeez, had also expressed reservations about playing with Amir.

Pakistan plays three Twenty20 internationals and three one-day matches on the tour, which starts on Jan. 15.