Pak bowling whizkid Mohammad Amir praises Virat Kohli for winning ICC Spirit of Cricket Award

The spirit of cricket transcends boundaries that even politics can’t and in yet another show of sportsmanship, Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir has praised Indian captain Virat Kohli after the latter won the International Cricket Council’s Spirit of Cricket Award. “Great words from a great player,” tweeted Amir.

In case, you did not know, Kohli was conferred the award after he gestured to the Indian crowd to not boo Steve Smith in the world cup match between India and Australia last year. Steve Smith alongside fellow cricketers Cameron Bancroft and David Warner came under fire for indulging in ball tampering during a test series against South Africa in 2018, infamously referred to as the Sandpapergate scandal. Bancroft was caught by television cameras, trying to rub one side of the ball with sandpaper in order for the ball to shine from one end only and thereby possibly confuse the batsmen.

“That moment was purely understanding an individual’s situation. I don’t think a guy who is coming out of a situation like that needs to be taken advantage of,” Kohli was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times in reference to why he took a stand for Smith.