Najam Sethi 'optimistic' of ICC relaxing 'banned' Aamir's spot-fixing ban

Pakistan's cricket chief Najam Sethi has said he is optimistic that the International Cricket Council (ICC) would relax the five-year ban imposed on pace bowler Mohammad Aamir for spot-fixing

Aamir, who was banned along with teammates Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif for deliberately bowling no-balls in return during the 2010 Lord's Test against England, had served jail terms in Britain along with the other two.

According to the Daily Times, the ICC said that Aamir's case would be reviewed after a revised anti-corruption code was adopted in January, with Sethi expressing his optimism over Aamir's case.

Sethi said he believes that Aamir should get permission to play first-class cricket because he has served four of the five-year ban, adding that the bowler should be given credit for admitting his guilt and taking part in ICC's anti-corruption efforts.

Aamir, who was just 18 at the time of the incident and widely regarded as one of the best young bowling talents in the game, took six wickets in the fateful Lord's Test and was declared man-of-the-series in Pakistan's 3-1 series defeat, the report added.