Mohammad Amir signs for Kent for Vitality T20 Blast

One of the premier fast bowlers of the modern generation, Mohammad Amir has signed with Kent and will be seen playing for them in this year’s Vitality T20 Blast. The Pakistani speedster will travel to England for the second half of the competition after the completion of the Pakistan Super League. Amir will be available for a maximum of seven group games and also the knockouts if Kent manages to qualify.

The 29-year-old fast bowler who called it quits from international cricket last year is a classy bowler in all formats. Having not played any cricket since 2019 might make him rusty but he is a seasoned campaigner. It was in England back in 2009 that Amir won the T20 World Cup with Pakistan. He also played in Vitality T20 Blast two seasons ago when he plied his trade for Essex.

As per reports in ESPN Cricinfo, Amir should be available for the game against Essex. Kent is slated to travel to Chelmsford on 25th June and his involvement in the game will depend on the progress of Karachi Kings in the PSL. The PSL final will be played on 20th June in Karachi. Amir is likely to serve a quarantine period in England as he is on the red list of UK government travel.

"I am excited to join a Kent team full of potential," Amir said. "I have always enjoyed playing at Canterbury, and I hope I will be able to help Kent win a trophy this year."

Meanwhile Director of Cricket at Kent, Paul Downton stated that it’s a matter of delight for them to sign a player of Amir’s calibre.

"We're delighted that a player of Amir's quality has agreed to join us for the later stages of the Vitality Blast this year. His skill and experience will be an invaluable addition to our bowling attack and I'm sure our members and supporters will share our enthusiasm in welcoming Amir to the club."

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Glenn Philips roped in by Gloucestershire for Vitaly T20 Blast

New Zealand international Glenn Philips has signed a deal with Gloucestershire and will represent them for the full duration of the Vitality T20 Blast. The 24-year-old who has been a regular in the national colours in the recent past played all 14 home fixtures for New Zealand which included a stunning 108 of a mere 51 deliveries against the West Indies. Replacing an experienced Ross Taylor, Philips has left a mark in the national colours. As far as Gloucestershire is concerned, Philips can also be a wicket-keeping option if James Bracey has to miss out on some part of the tournament due to national duties. Philips is a perfect three-dimension player who can also chip in with some useful overs with his off-spin. An attacking middle-order batsman, Philips has improved quite significantly while playing against spin which started during his association with the Jamaica Tallwahs in the Caribbean Premier League. It is also reported that he could have been a proper backup option for the IPL franchises in the IPL auctions. Philips will be available for the County Championship that takes place during the vitality Blast. More specifically he will be available for the matches against Middlesex and Hampshire. Philips is a solid long format batsman as well and will look to make a mark in his new venture. Gloucestershire’s interim head coach Ian Harvey said that Philips is an exciting batsman to watch and he is looking forward to his journey with Gloucestershire. "Glenn is very exciting to watch and he's going to add a massive amount to what is already a powerful T20 batting line-up. He can bat at the top of the order, in the middle and also add to our firepower at the end. He's a bit of an all-rounder because he bowls and keeps wicket as well so he will give us plenty of options. "To have someone in your side with the ability to do pretty much everything is a huge bonus and his experience of playing around the world in franchise cricket is going to be a massive benefit for our players. He's played Test match cricket and can keep wicket so he gives us plenty of options if we want to bring him in for red-ball games."

ICC bans UAE's Qadeer Ahmed Khan for eight years for breaching anti-corruption code

Qadeer Ahmed Khan of the United Arab Emirates has been barred from all cricket for five years after admitting to breaching six codes of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code in October 2019. The governing body of the game however has imposed a retrospective ban on Khan that will be counted from October 16, 2019 when he was first charged for the breaches. Khan has accepted the charges of breaching article 2.4.4, 2.3.2, 2.4.5, 2.4.6, 2.4.7 of the anti corruption code. The General Manager of the ICC ‘s Integrity Unit, Alex Marshall, said that Khan being an international cricket who has been through anti-corruption training should have been more vigilant about coming in contact with corrupt people and also should have reported as soon as possible after being aware of the situation. “Qadeer Khan is an experienced international cricketer who has received anti-corruption training. He should have avoided the people he knew were corrupt and reported any suspicions immediately. He has accepted he did wrong and requested an agreed sanction in place of a Tribunal. His five-year period of ineligibility is a reflection of the seriousness of his breaches and the number of charges,” Marshall said in a statement. Notably, earlier this month, the ICC had also banned United Arab Emirates (UAE) players Mohammad Naveed and Shaiman Anwar Butt for eight years each after the ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal found them guilty of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.

Salil Ankola distances himself from banned CIC members for interference claims

Mumbai Cricket Association’s (MCA) Chairman of the selection committee, Salil Ankola has distanced himself from two of the sacked members of MCA’s Improvement Committee (CIC) Lalchand Rajput and Raju Kulkarni. They had earlier claimed to the MCA ombudsman that the selectors were ready to justification and testify in their favour. As per reports it os learnt that Rajput questioned the fact that the secretaries had interfered in CIC matters and included players in the XI without the approval of the selectors. Salil Ankola, the current MCA selection committee head who is a former cricketer and an actor stated that neither Rajput nor Kulkarni had spoken with him in this regard and he is not ready to testify in front of Ombudsman Justice Vijaya Tahiliramani. “This is to inform about the recent series of allegations made by the Cricket Improvement Committee on ‘interference of secretaries in the selection process. There have been recent media reports on Mr Lalchand Rajput and Mr Raju Kulkarni stating that ‘selectors’ are willing to testify for the interference to the MCA Ombudsman,” Ankola was quoted as saying during an official statement. “I, as a chairman of the selection committee for Mumbai Cricket Association, would like to place it on record that I have never spoken to Rajput on the above issue. Neither I have given any consent to testify in front of anyone. As a chairman of the selection committee, I have been transparent and always kept Mumbai’s interest above anything else.” Meanwhile, it must be noted that Ankola’s statement has come after both Rajput and Kulkarni submitted a petition to the MCA ombudsman contesting their removal from CIC. “Selectors are willing to testify for the interference: e.g. inclusion of 2 players in 20 selected by senior team selectors for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 (SMAT) after BCCI allowed 22 players due to Covid, instead of 20. The same 2 players were included in the playing 11 in the SMAT in some matches. Also, a left-arm bowler who was not in the original 20, who was a number 11 batsman, was made to open the innings in the SMAT,” the petition says.

Down with gastrointestinal infection, Brendan Taylor to miss first T20I against Pakistan

One of the most reliable middle-order batsmen to have graced the game from Zimbabwe, Brendan Taylor has been ruled out of the opening T20I against Pakistan in Harare on 21st April due to a gastrointestinal infection. This could be a big blow for the African minnows who are hoping to start the series on a high. They haven’t played against many top-class teams in the recent past and hence it should be good exposure for a team who is again trying to find a mark in international cricket. Taylor has not represented his country for over a year. The last time he made an appearance was during the tour of Pakistan last year. Subsequently, he missed out on the one-off Test match against Afghanistan om UAE earlier this year. The experienced campaigner couldn’t attend the cam prior to the Test due to an illness. He also didn’t take part in the T20I series against the same opponents. Zimbabwe is slated to play Pakistan in a three-match T20I series which will be followed by a two-match Test series. All the match will be played in Harare during April-May. There is no doubt about the fact that Brendan Taylor is one of the finest Zimbabwe batsmen, especially from the modern generation. He retired from international cricket after the 2015 World Cup for a Kolpak deal. Taylor again returned in 2017 when his deal with Nottinghamshire came to an end owing to family reasons.