Mohammad Amir 'desperate' for international return

Mohammad Amir, the Pakistan fast bowler provisionally suspended by the ICC for his alleged involvement in the spot-fixing controversy, has said he is "desperate" to return to the national team.

Amir's been out of action since the Lord's Test earlier this year and will learn his fate - along with Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif - after the final hearings in relation to the spot-fixing controversy are heard by the ICC's three-man tribunal in Doha in January. Amir had challenged the suspension imposed on him but his appeal was rejected last month and his PCB central contract subsequently revoked.

"I'm really missing playing for my country and I'm absolutely desperate to return to the side once the ongoing issues have been resolved," Amir told PakPassion.net. "I pray that everything turns out well for me. I've been watching the matches against South Africa on television and it hurts so much when we lose and I can't do anything about it. This spell away from cricket has really hit me hard and I pray and hope that my pain at not being allowed to play cricket ends soon."

Despite the uncertainty over his cricketing future, Amir has been training to keep his fitness intact. "I've been training hard," Amir said. "At times alone, and other times it's with local club players. It's not been easy but I have continued to keep up my training levels and attempted to keep my morale high.

"I've been playing football to also help with my fitness and I'm also taking part in some 35-over night-cricket matches in Lahore. It's not first-class cricket or international cricket of course, but it's cricket of a decent standard and keeps me involved in the game."