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Home / Sport

Amir entry to NZ could be blocked

Andrew Alderson
By Andrew Alderson
Reporter·NZ Herald·
31 Dec, 2015 04:00 PM4 mins to read

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Mohammad Amir has been in fine form since returning to cricket. Photo / AP

Mohammad Amir has been in fine form since returning to cricket. Photo / AP

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Speculation is mounting over whether convicted cricket cheat Mohammad Amir will be allowed into New Zealand if he is selected by Pakistan for this month's tour.

The first match of the tour is two weeks away, and the place of convicted spot-fixer Amir is yet to be confirmed.

The left-armer served a five-year ban from cricket and three months in prison for his role in the 2010 spot-fixing case where, as an 18-year-old, he bowled deliberate no-balls in a test against England at Lord's.

The International Cricket Council has since approved Amir's return to the game.

Like each of the Pakistani team, Amir needs to apply for a visa to enter New Zealand. However, he needs character reference support because of his past conviction.

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No such request has been made by Amir or the Pakistan Cricket Board to New Zealand Cricket.

Pakistan's schedule in New Zealand includes three Twenty20 internationals followed by three one-day internationals.

A spokesman for NZC said: "It's all speculation at this stage and we will have nothing to say until he is selected."

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Immigration New Zealand's website states: "People with criminal convictions or who have provided false or misleading information will not be granted a visa unless a character waiver is granted ...

"In the case of character waivers, each application is considered on its individual merits and taking into account, for example, the seriousness of an offence, number of offences and how long ago the event/s occurred", it reads.

Given Amir has served his punishment, INZ would need evidence he was liable for recidivism to refuse entry.

Amir was declined a British visa last year. Since Amir's ban expired, his form has been outstanding in domestic first-class cricket (16 wickets at 14.87 in four matches) and the Bangladesh Premier League (14 wickets at 12.64 in nine matches).

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Last month he joined a 26-man Pakistan conditioning camp in Lahore.

The issue has been complicated by the refusal of captain Azhar Ali and Mohammad Hafeez to attend that camp because of Amir's presence. Azhar, the ODI captain, even attempted to resign as a result.

Leg spinner Yasir Shah has already been ruled out of the tour after testing positive for a diuretic which was on the World Anti-Doping Agency banned list as a potential masking agent.

Other current or former sportspeople have also been denied visa entry to New Zealand, notably Mike Tyson in 2012, Fijian military coup officials with rugby sevens connections in 2007 and the Zimbabwean cricket team in 2006.

A sporting history of withheld visas

1 2005: Zimbabwe cricket tour

The government compensated New Zealand Cricket $406,000 for a cancelled tour by Zimbabwe.

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"The Labour-led government made an important stand over this tour in order to send a strong message to [Zimbabwe President] Robert Mugabe's government over its appalling human rights record and continuing abuse of democratic principles," said Sports Minister Trevor Mallard at the time.

2 2007: Fijians aligned to the military regime during the Wellington sevens

After Commodore Frank Bainimarama seized power via a coup d'etat in Fiji in 2006, the New Zealand government banned visiting sevens teams from starting their parade in front of Parliament buildings in January 2007, given the government's serious concerns over the military takeover and the ousting of Fiji's democratically elected government by the army, Mallard said.

3 2012: Charity reminded of Mike Tyson's past

When Juliana Venning heard Tyson planned to visit, she rang his sponsors and asked why they were helping a convicted rapist enter the country. The call to Life Education Trust chief John O'Connell uncovered Tyson's letter of support, a big factor in Immigration NZ approving his visa application. It turned out the letter was written without permission by a volunteer of the charity. The application was rejected by Associate Immigration Minister Kate Wilkinson. Venning delivered a TKO.

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