Monday 12 September 2016 14:40, UK
Mohammad Amir expected a much tougher reception than the one he actually received on his return to England this summer.
Amir was playing international cricket on English soil for the first time since his part in a spot-fixing scandal which rocked cricket in 2010 and cost him a five-year suspension as well as a six-month jail sentence.
The left-armer was found guilty of deliberately bowling no-balls and was banned and imprisoned along with team-mates Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif.
Amir returned to the Pakistan squad in limited overs formats in New Zealand earlier this year but the trip to England was always going to be much harder for him, given what had happened six years earlier.
Although there were jeers and shouts of 'no ball' from the crowd early in the tour, those would eventually die down and Amir said that had helped him through a tough summer, which saw Pakistan lose Test and one-day series before winning the sole Twenty20 international.
"There was a huge media hype around me, fears in my mind and the pressure of doing well, but I am relieved on clearing one of the toughest exams of my life with the support of my team and fans," Amir said in an interview with AFP.
"I was ready for anything including rants but when I went out to bat at the Lord's the crowd clapped for me and it helped me relax.
"None of the England players said anything untoward and I thank them for that. Moeen Ali was the best, he advised me to forget the past and concentrate on the future."
"Most of the British fans were welcoming and whenever I had the chance of going out they took pictures with me. One father and son came to the team hotel in Leeds and when they met me they described it as a 'lifetime opportunity and best day of their lives'."
