Thursday, September 2, 2010

BoomBoom suspend Amir agreement

LONDON: Cricket manufacturers BoomBoom have suspended their relationship with Mohammad Amir and are reviewing their position as official kit supplier to the Pakistan national side.

BoomBoom are less than halfway through a two-year deal to supply Pakistan and also have individual branding agreements in place with a number of players - including Amir.

Following the ongoing allegations of spot-fixing against the 18-year-old and a handful of team-mates, BoomBoom have decided to put their association with him on hold.

A statement from the managing director of the company also confirmed that BoomBoom were also considering their role with the team as a whole.

Amir was one of three players to have their phones confiscated following police questioning on Sunday night, alongside fellow seamer Mohammad Asif and Test captain Salman Butt. The trio were in London on Wednesday preparing for a meeting with Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt and their country's high commissioner.

The suspension of the sponsorship deal with Amir will remain in place until such a time as both the police and the cricket authorities have concluded their investigations into the claims.

The company are keen to stress their decision is not intended as a prejudicial judgment on the guilt, or otherwise, of Amir but decided it was the best move for their brand.

Reflecting on the decision managing director Ali Ehsan said: "Like everyone else in the cricket world, we are truly saddened and shocked by these allegations. I sincerely hope they are not true. However, we are huge cricket lovers: pure and simple. We believe in, and encourage players to have, the freedom to play, fairly.

"We cannot allow our brand to be associated with any whiff of corruption or suspicion of foul play. While the suspension of our commercial involvement with Mohammad Amir is not a step we take lightly, we nevertheless feel that it is the right thing to do while a judicial process unfolds and innocence or guilt is established.

"BoomBoom is also reviewing its position as official kit supplier to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)." AGENCIES

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