AFP
Lahore
Pakistan's cricket chief on Tuesday said he had refused to accept one-day captain Azhar Ali's resignation over the widely-tipped selection of convicted spot-fixer Mohammad Amir, saying the team could not afford a crisis at this time.
Ali had tendered his resignation to protest Amir's prospective return to the national team for next month's tour of New Zealand, almost six years after he was banned and jailed for deliberately bowling no-balls as part of a betting scam in a Test match.
Speaking to AFP, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan said he had changed 30-year-old Ali's mind. "I met Ali and since he resigned as captain I convinced him not to do so as Pakistan cricket cannot afford a crisis at this time," he said.
Ali and former Twenty20 captain Mohammad Hafeez refused to train with Amir in the national team's fitness camp last week but returned after being threatened with disciplinary action.
