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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially sent a letter to its international counterpart asking them to review the ban on Mohammad Aamir in light of the revision in the anti-corruption code of the world body.
A PCB official confirmed that the letter had been dispatched to the ICC basically seeking clearance for the left arm pacer to make a return to domestic cricket.
"We have asked the ICC to give us advice on how it would be possible for Aamir to make am early return to domestic cricket after the changes in the anti-corruption code," the official said.
"We have conveyed to the ICC that we would like Aamir to be given permission to play domestic cricket before his ban ends in August 2015," the official added.
Aamir is serving a five year ban imposed on him and his teammates, Salman Butt and Muhammad Asif by the ICC after the spot fixing scandal broke out during Pakistan’s tour of England in late 2010.
The ICC recently revised its anti-corruption code and it allows the anti-corruption unit chief to review any case for allowing a player to make an early return to domestic cricket before the end of the official ban.
The PCB official said that they expected the entire process to last for atleast two months.
"There is a possibility that Aamir could return to domestic cricket this season as it runs until April-May 2015," he added.
Aamir has already said he is training hard to prepare for an expected comeback to domestic cricket.
Interestingly Pakistan's former captain and now respected commentator and pundit, Rameez Raja on Wednesday strongly opposed any move to allow Aamir back into the national team and advised the PCB to first ask the current players whether they would be comfortable with Aamir in the dressing room with them.
The official also confirmed that the PCB also planned to take up former captain, Salman Butt's case with the ICC but made it clear this would take time.
"Only after the Aamir case is decided upon by the ICC that we will move to seek some redressal for Butt as well," he said.
He said there was a vast difference between the cases of Aamir and Butt.
"Butt came and met the Chairman recently and he has been in touch with us and he is insisting we plead his case but we are still not convinced he has told us the whole truth about the spot fixing issue," the official added.
Image: Mohammad Aamir
Photograph: Tom Shaw/Getty Images