I had a hard time in prison but I am innocent says Mohammad Asif

01 September, 2012

Mohammad Asif, the former Pakistan cricketer who was jailed for his involvement in spot fixing wants to play for Pakistan once again. He has pursued his appeal against the 7-year ban imposed by ICC.

MOHAMMAD ASIF, once the spearhead of the Pakistani bowling attack, was sentenced for a year's imprisonment after the player was found guilty in spot-fixing. It was one of the worst days for world cricket when the game had been brought to a bad taste. But Asif in an exclusive nnis audio maintains, “I am, was and will always be innocent.” Along with Asif, Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt, who were also involved in the controversy were sentenced for six and thirty months respectively.

Asif also reveals that spending life in jail for the first 2-3 weeks was really painful along with other criminals. But, his family were always there for support and played an important role in providing solace to him during his jail term. He considers his tenure in jail to be one of the most difficult times in his life. He has pursued his appeal against a 7-year ban that has been imposed on him by the ICC for his involvement in spot fixing. The player expects a positive result in his favour. He says that he will give his best to prove his innocence.

After seeing the video, one can see that Asif has not lost his passion for the game. If one may add, it seems that his absence from the game has made the bowler hungrier to play for Pakistan. He adds, “I am a cricketer, was a cricketer and will always remain a cricketer. Cricket is in my blood.” He also adds that no one can remove cricket from his blood and that he wishes to represent Pakistan in the near future.

Even if the player is found innocent, will he ever be drafted into the Pakistan team? It might be difficult for the board to select the player due to his alleged involvement in match-fixing. Asif does not hold a good off-field record, as he also failed some dope tests in the past.