London: Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq said Mohammed Aamir could start a "new life" after the left-arm pacer completed his return to the scene of his spot-fixing shame by rounding off victory over England in the first Test at Lord's on Sunday.
The corresponding Test match between England and Pakistan at Lord's in 2010 saw Aamir take a superb six for 84 to secure a coveted place on the dressing room honours board. But that feat was utterly overshadowed when it was revealed the 18-year-old had deliberately bowled no-balls as part of a newspaper 'sting' operation.
This was his first Test appearance since 2010 and the 24-year-old wrapped up Pakistan's fourth win in 14 Tests at Lord's when he bowled last man Jake Ball to secure a 75-run victory with more than a day to spare.
"That was a special moment for Aamir," said Misbah. "That could be the start of a new life.
"And I hope he'll keep performing like that, proving to everybody that he can be really a good man, a good cricketer and good human being now."
Misbah added: "Aamir is so lucky he got another chance. Now it's a new life for him."
The skipper predicted Aamir would only get better in the rest of the series after overcoming the emotional hurdle of his Lord's return. "He will definitely get better because sometimes there was some sort of mental block as that incident had happened here at this venue.
"So, that obviously comes into your mind. Now it's over and he can really be more effective in the Pakistan team," insisted Misbah.
The second Test in Manchester starts on Friday.
Meanwhile, England captain Alastair Cook said the batsmen were "naïve" in their shot selection. "We are striving to become the best side we can be.
"But I think naive is the word. You can play bad shots, but we played too many of them. I don't think we got our angles right," Cook commented.
Cook promised a more resolute performance from the English side. "It is frustrating, but now we've got three days to go and work on it.
"You don't take any offence, but certainly at that emotive time, it's not pleasant viewing. When you've lost a game of cricket for the first 20 minutes or so, it's not pleasant. "It's not nice losing at Lord's and seeing the opposition like they were at the end (referring to Pakistan's press-up celebrations). We will use that as a motivation and get better," he emphasised.
Cook also rejected suggestions that complacency played a part in England's defeat and took solace from the fact that England have previously emerged stronger from demoralising losses at Lord's.
