Amir warned but escapes further punishment

Pakistan's banned pacer Mohammad Amir has escaped with a "stern warning and a caution" from the ICC for breaching the terms of his five-year suspension by playing in a local match in England.

The youngster, who is banned for spot-fixing, got the letter from the ICC warning him to be careful in future as no more breaches of his ban would be tolerated by the sport's world governing body.

A Pakistan Cricket Board official said the letter was sent directly to Amir but the board was aware of it.

"We know he has been given a stern warning and issued a caution," the official said.

Pakistani players, Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Amir were banned for a minimum of five years by the ICC's anti-corruption tribunal after several hearings held in Dubai and Doha, to look into the allegations of spot-fixing against the trio.

The ICC tribunal found them guilty of trying to defraud bookmakers and violating the anti-corruption code clauses by their actions on the Pakistan team's tour to England last year.

Asif and Amir were found guilty of deliberately bowling no-balls in the fourth Test against England at Lord's on the instructions of a Pakistan-born bookmaker Mazhar Majeed, who has worked as agent for several Pakistani players.

The 19-year-old Amir took 51 Test wickets in 14 matches and played in 15 ODIs and 18 Twenty20 matches for his country before he was first suspended by the ICC in September 2010 and finally banned this year.

The ICC launched an investigation after it was reported that Amir played for a Surrey division one league side, Addington in June against the St Luke's Cricket Club.

Amir scored 60 runs and took four wickets in his side's victory but later claimed he was not aware he was breaching his ban conditions and told it was a friendly village match.

Earlier, Amir had escaped punishment when he played in a Rawalpindi club match but the Pakistan board said it had investigated and found it was not a recognised game.

A PCB official said all three players had been made aware that they could not play or take part in any cricket match or event that is sanctioned or recognised by the ICC and its members or their affiliated units.

"They can't take part in any recognised cricket during their bans," the official added.

The trio has appealed to the International Court of Sports Arbitration in Switzerland and are also facing criminal charges of cheating in a London Crown prosecution court in the UK.

Amir was not available for comments as his mobile phone was switched off.