Mohammad Asif targeting Test return for Australia tour

Mohammad Asif hopes to follow in the footsteps of his fellow spot-fixer Mohammad Amir and make a return to Test cricket in 2016.

Asif and Amir, along with Salman Butt, were given five-year bans from cricket and served time in prison after a conspiracy to bowl no-balls during England’s Test with Pakistan at Lord’s in 2010.

Amir, now back in the international fold, is due to return to the scene of the crime this week in the first of a four-match Test series and will likely face a hostile reception from the Lord’s faithful.

Meanwhile Asif, now 33, is hoping his performances in domestic cricket can put him back into the thoughts of the Pakistan selectors for their tour to Australia, which begins in December this year.

“Every human being has made mistakes, we apologise and after the mistake everybody has the right to come on the [right] track,” he told BBC Sport.

“My aim is to work hard and in September the Pakistani season starts. [I aim] to get fit and perform well and go with the team in the Australia and New Zealand tour.”

On his time in prison, Asif said: “Of course that was very hard.

“The first couple of days were very hard for me. You were a hero at one time and suddenly you go in jail, so it was quite hard.

“I did talk with the ICC [about warning others of the perils of spot-fixing] and I went to a regional side in Pakistan.

“I told them ‘don’t go wrong, cricket is a gentleman’s game so play like a gentleman.'”