Freed Pakistan cricketer aims to ‘clear his name’

A PAKISTAN cricketer jailed for his part in a fixing scam said yesterday on TV he hopes to clear his name and return to the sport.

Mohammad Asif, 29, the former world number two Test bowler, was released from Canterbury Prison in Kent on Thursday after serving half of his 12-month sentence.

He continues to protest his innocence, and is appealing against his conviction for bowling deliberate no-balls in the 2010 Lord’s Test against England.

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In his first interview since being released, he told Pakistan’s Geo TV: “I am hopeful that I will come out of the problem that I found myself in unwittingly.”

Asked if he would be able to return to first-class cricket, he said: “A fish will never forget how to swim. A bowler doesn’t forget how to bowl well.”

The fixing scandal emerged after an undercover “sting” by the News of the World.