Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Amir take legal action against Australian cricket bat company for deceptive conduct

Former Pakistan cricketers Mohammad Amir and Kamran Akmal have taken legal action against a cricket bat company - Tazwin Sports for deceptive conduct during their stint in the Aussie Cricket League (ACL). The two former cricketers decided to take part in the event in 2022, which aims at changing the landscape of cricket in the suburbs of Melbourne. 

The ACL is backed by a string of sponsors which includes businesses in Australia’s South Asian community, namely a cricket gear manufacturer - Tazwin Sports, based in Derrimut. However, as per reports, the gear manufacturing company is facing legal action by Amir and Kamran for using unauthorised photos as part of their promotional material on their website.

The company further tweaked pictures and allegedly removed the name of another competition’s sponsor from the Pakistan team’s shirts. In a statement released by the two Pakistan cricketers, a certain number of bats were delivered by the gear manufacturer during the tournament but their fee was not paid.

“Three or four cricket bats were delivered by Tazwin Sports during the ACL tournament, however, the fee of $3000 was not paid,” the statement by the two players read as quoted by ‘The Age’.

“The use of the photos implies the plaintiffs are brand ambassadors of Tazwin Sports or otherwise endorse or approve of Tazwin Sports’ products. The plaintiffs have no direct relationship with Tazwin Sports and have not agreed to any promotional or marketing arrangements with Tazwin Sports. It is likely that the plaintiffs will lose future sponsorship opportunities [as a result of the photos],” the court document states.

Later, Kamran stated that he lost a $28,000 annual offer to be the brand ambassador for another brand in Australia, which also included $7000 in sports equipment. Likewise, Amir too missed out on a three-year deal from another company that involved yearly payments of $30,000 and $5000 of equipment.

The case will have its first hearing on Monday, August 7. Meanwhile, the third edition of the ACL will be held in December and it remains to be seen if the two former Pakistan cricketers continue to grace the event with their presence.