Caption This : What's Mohammad Amir saying to Alastair Cook?

[shebimalik]

 

[theariezman]

Say it in Urdu dude!!

 

[Gasman]

How come you NEVER sweat, even after making a double ton in Australia?

 

[Xoib]

No wonder amir has been so mediocre since return his physical appearance is like an early 20's engineering student with so much skinny fat a world class fast bowler should not look like this.Nowonder he is soo far behind starc and rabada as test bowler despite having such good skill set.

 

[Mamoon]

Amir's belly and his physique sums up his attitude and work ethic. No wonder he goes through the motions and bowls at 70% (by Azhar Mahmood's own admission) most of the time.

A lazy performer who probably feels entitled and needs someone to lit a fire for him to bend his back and give his 100% best.

Hopefully he will use the Champions Trophy final as an inspiration instead of going back to his usual post-ban mode.

 

[Xoib]

Amir's belly and his physique sums up his attitude and work ethic. No wonder he goes through the motions and bowls at 70% (by Azhar Mahmood's own admission) most of the time.

A lazy performer who probably feels entitled and needs someone to lit a fire for him to bend his back and give his 100% best.

Hopefully he will use the Champions Trophy final as an inspiration instead of going back to his usual post-ban mode.

Yes very poor.No wonder he struggled to replicate his preban bowling he just sat on his backside for 5 yeard waiting for his ban to finish he is carrying so much fat on his belly its unbelievable.

 

[Adil_94]

but yeah very poor from amir if he replaced that skinny fat with muscle and a toned stomach he would be hitting 145-150 consistently. Guy has the skill but needs the work ethic too n cut out the paratha n halwa

 

[Hamza_]

Wow, he is fat

 

[Mamoon]

Yes very poor.No wonder he struggled to replicate his preban bowling he just sat on his backside for 5 yeard waiting for his ban to finish he is carrying so much fat on his belly its unbelievable.

The ban has been over for 1.5 years, more than enough time to get rid of the belly and put on some mass. However, he feels entitled because of the way he has been fast-tracked and all the hype that he has generally not deserved. We as a country suffer from Superstar Syndrome and fan-boyism due to which players like Amir don't feel the need to work their backsides off.

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

Maybe he's wearing the chest guard under his shirt ??? Could be.....

 

[Xoib]

Maybe he's wearing the chest guard under his shirt ??? Could be.....

Nah this is belly fat for sure chest guard does not give this shape. He will remain mediocre in test cricket till he works on his fitness. Looking at him I am not surprised his output reduces dramatically the longer the series goes.His fitness is not even allowing him to use 50% of his skill set

 

[Syed1]

Amir and Babar have the same physique. Look thin and fit but have bellies, which goes to suggest that their diet is BAD but have good metabolisms hence fat doesn't accumulate in other places apart from belly.

 

[90MPH]

Amir haters having a field day because of one pic.

It's the only way they can show their desperation and frustration after his display in the final.

Btw agree he needs to improve on fitness but these haters will never be satisfied
.

 

[Abdullah]

"Hey cookie monster- that's how you deal with the Indian monster in an ICC Final!!"

 

[Hamza_]

Amir and Babar have the same physique. Look thin and fit but have bellies, which goes to suggest that their diet is BAD but have good metabolisms hence fat doesn't accumulate in other places apart from belly.

Imad Wasim is same I think.

I have similar physique as well.

 

[Syed1]

Amir haters having a field day because of one pic.

It's the only way they can show their desperation and frustration after his display in the final.

Btw agree he needs to improve on fitness but these haters will never be satisfied
.

Good point, some folks on this thread were waiting since June 18th for one slip-up from Amir so that they can spew their rubbish again.

 

[Xoib]

Amir haters having a field day because of one pic.

It's the only way they can show their desperation and frustration after his display in the final.

Btw agree he needs to improve on fitness but these haters will never be satisfied
.

I am not a hater.He has skill set superior then Starc i honestly believe but his poor work ethic will never let him reach his potential.

 

[Mamoon]

Yes haters like the bowling coach Azhar Mehmood, who had to criticize him for not giving his best often after the brilliant performance in the final. What an opportunist.

 

[MMHS]

After 3 months in County, I would like to see the same picture taken again. County has lost it's cricket quality big time, but still it's the best system for a pro cricketer's life style. It's almost vulgar to see a fast bowler having wider measurement around belly than chest

 

[Billy1999]

Was really suprised that Babar has a belly

But Amir,Its probably the camera angle,He has t really got a belly

 

[troodon]

I thought Amir is a tooth pick. Looks like he added a lot of bulk (in wrong areas though).

 

[Sirris]

"Bet I can make haters flip out with just one pic?"

"go ahead!"

A picture can be misleading. Perhaps he just had lunch and his stomach was bloated or perhaps the camera angle is not a flattering one. Maybe he was taking a deep breath when the photo was shot. We will never know.

One thing we do know: he passed the minimum fitness level test laid out by Mickey.

 

[MenInG]

"Bet I can make haters flip out with just one pic?"

"go ahead!"

A picture can be misleading. Perhaps he just had lunch and his stomach was bloated or perhaps the camera angle is not a flattering one. Maybe he was taking a deep breath when the photo was shot. We will never know.

One thing we do know: he passed the minimum fitness level test laid out by Mickey.

Unfortunately some having a hard time digesting our Champions Trophy win. We can only pray for their quick recovery.

 

[Sirris]

Yes haters like the bowling coach Azhar Mehmood, who had to criticize him for not giving his best often after the brilliant performance in the final. What an opportunist.

Let's see what the coach actually said:

I felt Amir seemed to be holding himself back so that he was only putting in 70% effort at times. I mentioned this to Amir before the final against India that he must go flat out and bowl the fastest he can.

"at times" =/= "often"

And he didn't criticized amir after the final. He mentioned it to amir before the final. Big difference.

A case of poor reading or just twisting words and lose interpretations to suit one's agenda?

So what happened after Azhar mentioned it to Amir before the final? Did amir just ignore his advice and did whatever he feel like?

I mentioned this to Amir before the final against India that he must go flat out and bowl the fastest he can. And we saw in that game in the way he was running in, in his body language that he was fired up and went in full throttle at the Indian batsmen.

We can see from Azahr's own writing that Amir is willing to listen and pay heed to the advice. He is willing to work on himself and do exactly what's asked of him.


Why are always the negative remarks of the coach highlighted and taken to heart?

How about:

During the Champions Trophy, there was hardly any swing due to the cold weather at Cardiff and Edgbaston but Amir swung the ball at Cardiff and also at The Oval.

Amir is not a finished product yet. There is a lot he needs to work on. Mainly increasing the amount of wickets he takes. But the guy has bowled a brilliant spell just 10 days ago to help win the tournament final so cut him some slack. He isn't even on holidays and out partying now. While other players are back home and getting hero's treatment Amir is keeping himself busy and playing county cricket. Let's hope he remains injury free and is able to improve his game, instead of looking out for some negative thing to highlight whenever the opportunity arises.

 

[Xoib]

Amir fans need to stop finding excuses for him.There is a reason the longer the series goes the lesser is his effectivness.This pic and Azhar statements are perfect depiction of his lazy attitude.Him getting cramps and back spasams shows he is not serious in regards to his fitness as these type of injuries usually occur to athletes who are not in prime condition.Its such a shame since on skills no current fast bowler apart from Steyn can touch him in full flow.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Wide waist/Hip bone structure with a skinny upperbody. It's genetics. Babar has the same thing. Neither have bellies. Some camera angles will just give that impression if they lean the slightest in any direction.

 

[asadee]

If that belly can make us win tournament finals I am ok with it

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Cook (after looking at Amir's belly) : What's cooking?

 

[Mamoon]

Let's see what the coach actually said:



"at times" =/= "often"

And he didn't criticized amir after the final. He mentioned it to amir before the final. Big difference.

A case of poor reading or just twisting words and lose interpretations to suit one's agenda?

So what happened after Azhar mentioned it to Amir before the final? Did amir just ignore his advice and did whatever he feel like?

Yes of course we can beat around the bush, argue semantics and whether he used the word "often" or "at times", and whether Azhar give him an earful before or after the match, but to me it is quite telling that the bowling coach has to publicly state that Amir does not bowl with the intensity that he should be bowling. This is something that a lot of people have highlighted, since he often appears to be going through the motions. However, in response, the fan-boys got triggered and were quick to shut the "haters" down before the bowling coach himself echoed their views. Nonetheless, fan-boys will be fan-boys so it is not a problem.

The fact is that Amir does not normally bowl with the intensity and passion that he needs to, and unfortunately he seems to be one of those players who are not easily motivated. Azhar will not always be there to tell him that he is bowling at 70% and needs to go flat out and bowl as fast as he can. It is about time Amir is able to do these things himself and I hope that he can use this CT Final as a turning point in his career. Getting rid of the belly fat would be a good start.

 

[zyrus]

His mindset is problem, fitness is not much of it for now. He's bowling defensive/cross-seam instead of pitching it up and trying to swing the ball.

 

[Abdullah]

Yes haters like the bowling coach Azhar Mehmood, who had to criticize him for not giving his best often after the brilliant performance in the final. What an opportunist.

It was before the final. Maybe he does need a rocket

 

[waleed88]

View attachment 75296

Cook : yeh meri jaga hai koi aur dhoondho

 

[waleed88]

The ban has been over for 1.5 years, more than enough time to get rid of the belly and put on some mass. However, he feels entitled because of the way he has been fast-tracked and all the hype that he has generally not deserved. We as a country suffer from Superstar Syndrome and fan-boyism due to which players like Amir don't feel the need to work their backsides off.

There you go, which is why he gets back spasms and groin problems in big games... We talked that day about the back spasm taking out a bowler, and Simon Doul almost suprised at that since he said 'he has always played through pain' but back spasms was never a reason to not play...

If Rumman hadn't stood up on the semi final day who knows what would've happened..

According to Imad Wasim and Sarf on their interview, Amir was on chance to play the final, and Rumman was told he might be backing up if Amir wasn't fit on the final day.. and he was prepared for it (which means he wasn't 100% on the final day as well)

Then you have the groin problem he had vs India decided to call it quits leaving the team hanging dry in the game against India, where Amir's last overs were crucial but we had no bowler to bowl those overs.

All that points to poor fitness, and I hope he can rectify them

 

[yasir]

Yes of course we can beat around the bush, argue semantics and whether he used the word "often" or "at times", and whether Azhar give him an earful before or after the match, but to me it is quite telling that the bowling coach has to publicly state that Amir does not bowl with the intensity that he should be bowling. This is something that a lot of people have highlighted, since he often appears to be going through the motions. However, in response, the fan-boys got triggered and were quick to shut the "haters" down before the bowling coach himself echoed their views. Nonetheless, fan-boys will be fan-boys so it is not a problem.

The fact is that Amir does not normally bowl with the intensity and passion that he needs to, and unfortunately he seems to be one of those players who are not easily motivated. Azhar will not always be there to tell him that he is bowling at 70% and needs to go flat out and bowl as fast as he can. It is about time Amir is able to do these things himself and I hope that he can use this CT Final as a turning point in his career. Getting rid of the belly fat would be a good start.

Azhar also said:

We cannot elevate them to heroes one day and then turn them into ‘zeroes’ the next day. We need to change that type of mentality if we wish to progress further.

You are over exaggerating Amir's fitness and his belly, its more of camera angle and his posture then belly. Wasim Akram had far bigger belly then this, yet he was a GOAT...

Amir needs to improve his fitness, so is Strac, nobody is absolutely fit, Strac gets injured way too frequently. What Amir need is muscle mass, along with strong and flexible lower body.

Pakistan has been hammering Amir for last year and a half, there is no break for him, playing in every format, work load he has to bear was too much...As I said many times, his work load has to be cut to see 100% performance, we will run down Hassan Ali too, if we feature him in every match of every format. Its not possible for fast bowlers to sustain that kind of work load. No bowler in the world can bowl 145 clicks intensity in all three format, season after season. Johnson with his level of fitness, only had one super season, where his avg pace was 146/148 with strong intent, why he could not have that intensity all the time? - How many people have done that before?? - WI had four of them, work load was not on one guy, its much easier that way.

What made difference for Wasim and Waqar was the partnership, they were not bowling with same intensity all the time, but one could lift other, facing high quality bowlers at both end is much harder. Even then how many times we had seen 150/1 or 150/2, pretty much nothing in opening spells. Bowler works in pair, With Hasan, there is a hope we may see strong performances from both. Even in CT, many times in middle over, when both Amir and Junaid bowled well, it yields wickets, they could not see off any bowler...

What Amir did on Sunday, or Lords 2010 or against India in BD, even GOAT drools over such spells... I bet Styen never had that kind of spell, when stake were highest, nor your favorite Anderson

Its not fair to go after him all the time, he won us two critical matches (SL, IND), one with his steely nerve. It requires lot of nerve and mental strength to have that partnership, he was more compose than Sarfraz in that partnership...And his bowling has never been completely rubbish at any point in time in last year and a half. Its just expectation are too high for him. Even if he won us WC 2019, people will be complaining in next match, why he did not get wicket in first spell??

 

[yasir]

There you go, which is why he gets back spasms and groin problems in big games... We talked that day about the back spasm taking out a bowler, and Simon Doul almost suprised at that since he said 'he has always played through pain' but back spasms was never a reason to not play...

If Rumman hadn't stood up on the semi final day who knows what would've happened..

According to Imad Wasim and Sarf on their interview, Amir was on chance to play the final, and Rumman was told he might be backing up if Amir wasn't fit on the final day.. and he was prepared for it (which means he wasn't 100% on the final day as well)

Then you have the groin problem he had vs India decided to call it quits leaving the team hanging dry in the game against India, where Amir's last overs were crucial but we had no bowler to bowl those overs.

All that points to poor fitness, and I hope he can rectify them

You forget that Pakistan played against SL, just two days ago. And he not only had to bowl 10 overs, he had to bat under high pressure to save the match. :

After what happen in first match against India, Pakistan/Amir were rightfully conservative...

He bowled more overs in last year than any other fast bowler except HW, first year of return and Pakistan has hammered him with work load of every format. We played like 8/9 test in 4-6 months, usually we play 6/7 in a year. Pakistan has to be careful about Hasan too, Amir and Hasan are key to resurgence of Pakistan, you don't want to kill the golden goose.

 

[Slog]

Azhar also said:



You are over exaggerating Amir's fitness and his belly, its more of camera angle and his posture then belly. Wasim Akram had far bigger belly then this, yet he was a GOAT...

Amir needs to improve his fitness, so is Strac, nobody is absolutely fit, Strac gets injured way too frequently. What Amir need is muscle mass, along with strong and flexible lower body.

Pakistan has been hammering Amir for last year and a half, there is no break for him, playing in every format, work load he has to bear was too much...As I said many times, his work load has to be cut to see 100% performance, we will run down Hassan Ali too, if we feature him in every match of every format. Its not possible for fast bowlers to sustain that kind of work load. No bowler in the world can bowl 145 clicks intensity in all three format, season after season. Johnson with his level of fitness, only had one super season, where his avg pace was 146/148 with strong intent, why he could not have that intensity all the time? - How many people have done that before?? - WI had four of them, work load was not on one guy, its much easier that way.

What made difference for Wasim and Waqar was the partnership, they were not bowling with same intensity all the time, but one could lift other, facing high quality bowlers at both end is much harder. Even then how many times we had seen 150/1 or 150/2, pretty much nothing in opening spells. Bowler works in pair, With Hasan, there is a hope we may see strong performances from both. Even in CT, many times in middle over, when both Amir and Junaid bowled well, it yields wickets, they could not see off any bowler...

What Amir did on Sunday, or Lords 2010 or against India in BD, even GOAT drools over such spells... I bet Styen never had that kind of spell, when stake were highest, nor your favorite Anderson

Its not fair to go after him all the time, he won us two critical matches (SL, IND), one with his steely nerve. It requires lot of nerve and mental strength to have that partnership, he was more compose than Sarfraz in that partnership...And his bowling has never been completely rubbish at any point in time in last year and a half. Its just expectation are too high for him. Even if he won us WC 2019, people will be complaining in next match, why he did not get wicket in first spell??

Yeah Steyn never had great spells...

Come back when Amir wins us back to back test series in Aus and Eng

Also Wasim never had a belly in his pomp. Stop making things up

 

[yasir]

Yeah Steyn never had great spells...

Come back when Amir wins us back to back test series in Aus and Eng

Also Wasim never had a belly in his pomp. Stop making things up

He never had in ICC events finals or even Semis, remember what happened in last SF?

For SA winning test series in AUS is like us winning in Asia, for them AUS is home conditions...They have won many times and also lost to AUS at home as well.

Steyn is a GOAT, one of my favorite bowler, obviously too good in test, did not meant to demean him. My point is even he would drool over such a spell at mega stage...

 

[Mamoon]

There you go, which is why he gets back spasms and groin problems in big games... We talked that day about the back spasm taking out a bowler, and Simon Doul almost suprised at that since he said 'he has always played through pain' but back spasms was never a reason to not play...

If Rumman hadn't stood up on the semi final day who knows what would've happened..

According to Imad Wasim and Sarf on their interview, Amir was on chance to play the final, and Rumman was told he might be backing up if Amir wasn't fit on the final day.. and he was prepared for it (which means he wasn't 100% on the final day as well)

Then you have the groin problem he had vs India decided to call it quits leaving the team hanging dry in the game against India, where Amir's last overs were crucial but we had no bowler to bowl those overs.

All that points to poor fitness, and I hope he can rectify them

Yes he does need to improve his fitness levels, but you were criticizing him for not playing in the SF after suffering from back spasm. As a doctor, you should be aware that even the fittest athlete in the world cannot play a few hours after a back spasm.

 

[Mamoon]

Azhar also said:



You are over exaggerating Amir's fitness and his belly, its more of camera angle and his posture then belly. Wasim Akram had far bigger belly then this, yet he was a GOAT...

Amir needs to improve his fitness, so is Strac, nobody is absolutely fit, Strac gets injured way too frequently. What Amir need is muscle mass, along with strong and flexible lower body.

Pakistan has been hammering Amir for last year and a half, there is no break for him, playing in every format, work load he has to bear was too much...As I said many times, his work load has to be cut to see 100% performance, we will run down Hassan Ali too, if we feature him in every match of every format. Its not possible for fast bowlers to sustain that kind of work load. No bowler in the world can bowl 145 clicks intensity in all three format, season after season. Johnson with his level of fitness, only had one super season, where his avg pace was 146/148 with strong intent, why he could not have that intensity all the time? - How many people have done that before?? - WI had four of them, work load was not on one guy, its much easier that way.

What made difference for Wasim and Waqar was the partnership, they were not bowling with same intensity all the time, but one could lift other, facing high quality bowlers at both end is much harder. Even then how many times we had seen 150/1 or 150/2, pretty much nothing in opening spells. Bowler works in pair, With Hasan, there is a hope we may see strong performances from both. Even in CT, many times in middle over, when both Amir and Junaid bowled well, it yields wickets, they could not see off any bowler...

What Amir did on Sunday, or Lords 2010 or against India in BD, even GOAT drools over such spells... I bet Styen never had that kind of spell, when stake were highest, nor your favorite Anderson

Its not fair to go after him all the time, he won us two critical matches (SL, IND), one with his steely nerve. It requires lot of nerve and mental strength to have that partnership, he was more compose than Sarfraz in that partnership...And his bowling has never been completely rubbish at any point in time in last year and a half. Its just expectation are too high for him. Even if he won us WC 2019, people will be complaining in next match, why he did not get wicket in first spell??

Wasim was much fitter than Amir, there is no comparison between the two. Amir at the moment is not qualified to be compared with Steyn and Anderson, the two best bowlers of the last decade. Their fitness and consistency have been at a different level. They are on their last legs now and are getting injured frequently, but they bowled and bowled all day long in their peaks and rarely let the team down.

Yes they have not delivered in Limited Overs tournaments, but you are talking about two bowlers who have almost 50 five-fers in Tests. If Amir gets close to the numbers of matches they have won for their respective countries, he will have a legendary career for Pakistan. You cannot put him on a higher pedestal because of a Champions Trophy final. This is the type of attitude that doesn't help Amir and gives his fans a bad name.

 

[Im Suds]

Well said Yasir Bhai.
Amazing that some pp s will twist anything to attack Amir ~ clearly they still have baggage to deal with.
Azhur s was right to say that Amir was not bowling full throttle, but no way was he suggesting that he was culpable for this by coasting or being lazy [like some pp s are stating]~ instead he was sending the message to Amir that mentally he needs to forget about the pass and just go for it. It was calculated tough love which had the desired impact.
A bit like Imran saying to Wasim [on the eve of the 1992 final] to forget about no balls and wides but to focus solely on bowling fast and look for wickets.

Muhammed Ali was not quite the boxer after he his ban [where he lost his best years as he didn't fight competitively for a few years] maybe the same s proving true for Amir [although I hope I am wrong].
Muhammed Ali returned as a different boxer although arguably a greater champion ~ just like I think Amir will [if people keep their expectations in check].
One thing the CT showed was that he certainly has the ability to become a great bowler.
Most observers would say he bowled the best spell of fast bowling against the best batsmen of the tournament.

 

[Im Suds]

Wasim was much fitter than Amir? How would you know this lol!
Have you even seen Wasim bowl live?
I have seen both live and I don't know how anyone can come to this conclusion.
In fact Wasim carried a bit of weight during some parts of his career ~ he was just a naturally gifted bowler that it didn't stop him getting wickets [probably could of got more though if indeed he was fitter].
Too many broadbrush statements from you

Wasim was much fitter than Amir, there is no comparison between the two. Amir at the moment is not qualified to be compared with Steyn and Anderson, the two best bowlers of the last decade. Their fitness and consistency have been at a different level. They are on their last legs now and are getting injured frequently, but they bowled and bowled all day long in their peaks and rarely let the team down.

Yes they have not delivered in Limited Overs tournaments, but you are talking about two bowlers who have almost 50 five-fers in Tests. If Amir gets close to the numbers of matches they have won for their respective countries, he will have a legendary career for Pakistan. You cannot put him on a higher pedestal because of a Champions Trophy final. This is the type of attitude that doesn't help Amir and gives his fans a bad name.

 

[wasimjunior]

Wasim was much fitter than Amir? How would you know this lol!
Have you even seen Wasim bowl live?
I have seen both live and I don't know how anyone can come to this conclusion.
In fact Wasim carried a bit of weight during some parts of his career ~ he was just a naturally gifted bowler that it didn't stop him getting wickets [probably could of got more though if indeed he was fitter].
Too many broadbrush statements from you

Lol have you seen wasims physique

 

[Im Suds]

Er You didn't need to see wasim s physique to know he was carrying a few pounds.

 

[ExpressPacer]

Babar Azam and Mohammad Amir are skinny fat. They have low overall weight but their body fat percentage is high therefore, no matter how skinny or fit they appear, they're actually unfit even for a regular person, let alone an athlete.

Being skinny-fat is worse than being fat because 1) Harder to lose. 2) People don't see it so you don't find the motivation to lose it.

Their weight is distributed very evenly all across the body which is why they don't appear "fat" but the problem is, unless and until they don't lose this fat and replace it with muscle, we're not going to see both Azam and Amir perform as well as they can. The reason why Amir had an extra bit of pace and was consistently in the late 140's pre-ban was because he was lean, he could've been even quicker had he gained muscle. But now, he's worse - just body fat.

Same reason why Babar Azam fails to hit more boundaries or sixes, he doesn't have the muscle. First they need to lose the weight and then build muscle, otherwise, they may end up looking something like Umar Akmal.

Also, I second [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] here. I'm surprised and truly shocked at the level of commitment these players have. Both Amir and Azam have continuously and incessantly said that they want to be the best cricketers of the generation and the least they can do to achieve that goal is by maintaining a good level of fitness. I think they don't partake in the exercise drills because I've played cricket all my teenage life and I never had a very fast metabolism but as soon as I was a couple of months into playing cricket after my exams, I would start losing weight and would have my stomach as tough and hard as a rock. Honestly, this is extremely disappointing. 90% of the boys in the cricket club I played for had 1 million times better fitness than these guys.

 

[ExpressPacer]

Unfortunately some having a hard time digesting our Champions Trophy win. We can only pray for their quick recovery.

MIG bhai, you deserve POTW for this post. )

 

[yasir]

Wasim was much fitter than Amir, there is no comparison between the two. Amir at the moment is not qualified to be compared with Steyn and Anderson, the two best bowlers of the last decade. Their fitness and consistency have been at a different level. They are on their last legs now and are getting injured frequently, but they bowled and bowled all day long in their peaks and rarely let the team down.

Yes they have not delivered in Limited Overs tournaments, but you are talking about two bowlers who have almost 50 five-fers in Tests. If Amir gets close to the numbers of matches they have won for their respective countries, he will have a legendary career for Pakistan. You cannot put him on a higher pedestal because of a Champions Trophy final. This is the type of attitude that doesn't help Amir and gives his fans a bad name.

To me Steyn and Anderson are/were never at same level to begin with, Steyn is GOAT, miles ahead of Anderson. They played on fast, swinging conditions most of their career, backed by strong batting lineup, not to mention excellent slip Corridor. Pakistani bowlers never play that many test to begin with, nor they have luxury of good fielders or conditions, even Ws underachieve at many levels and have not had same opportunity as western teams. Amir definitely has lost his golden years in wilderness, when he is back, we are sitting in desert, that will do him no good either...

My main comparison was in LOI. Amir has shown lot of guts at big stage, we should cherish that. Keep hammering him for small things is not going to help him or team...Criticism just for the sake of it does not serve any purpose...

 

[MenInG]

As they say, "bahana chahiyay"

And this is what some of the comments are here.

A light hearted thread destroyed by some who cannot find an ounce of happiness for Pakistan's success or its cricketers.

 

[proud_pakistani]

Getting back to the topic "What's cooking, Cookie?"

 

[Im Suds]

MIG bhai, you deserve POTW for this post. )

I think MIG is referring to you here so I am not sure why your laughing

 

[TheNightWatchman]

Wasim was much fitter than Amir? How would you know this lol!
Have you even seen Wasim bowl live?
I have seen both live and I don't know how anyone can come to this conclusion.
In fact Wasim carried a bit of weight during some parts of his career ~ he was just a naturally gifted bowler that it didn't stop him getting wickets [probably could of got more though if indeed he was fitter].
Too many broadbrush statements from you

Wasim was the fittest member in the squad throughout his playing days. Waqar and other Pakistan players during that time keep mentioning it in interviews.

 

[TheNightWatchman]

 

[Mamoon]

Wasim was much fitter than Amir? How would you know this lol!
Have you even seen Wasim bowl live?
I have seen both live and I don't know how anyone can come to this conclusion.
In fact Wasim carried a bit of weight during some parts of his career ~ he was just a naturally gifted bowler that it didn't stop him getting wickets [probably could of got more though if indeed he was fitter].
Too many broadbrush statements from you

Yes I have seen Wasim, and I can't believe that I have to argue that he was much fitter than Amir. Their is no comparison between the two when it comes to fitness.

 

[Mamoon]

To me Steyn and Anderson are/were never at same level to begin with, Steyn is GOAT, miles ahead of Anderson. They played on fast, swinging conditions most of their career, backed by strong batting lineup, not to mention excellent slip Corridor. Pakistani bowlers never play that many test to begin with, nor they have luxury of good fielders or conditions, even Ws underachieve at many levels and have not had same opportunity as western teams. Amir definitely has lost his golden years in wilderness, when he is back, we are sitting in desert, that will do him no good either...

My main comparison was in LOI. Amir has shown lot of guts at big stage, we should cherish that. Keep hammering him for small things is not going to help him or team...Criticism just for the sake of it does not serve any purpose...

Steyn vs Anderson is up for debate, I personally think the gap between the two isn't as big as the stats show. Steyn is quicker but Anderson is more skilled. Nonetheless, both are the two best bowlers of their era. The likes of Johnson had a great peak but the consistency over a prolonged period was found wanting. Amir is Mickey Mouse compared to them at this point in his career. He has achieved nothing in Test cricket.

 

[waleed88]

Yes he does need to improve his fitness levels, but you were criticizing him for not playing in the SF after suffering from back spasm. As a doctor, you should be aware that even the fittest athlete in the world cannot play a few hours after a back spasm.

I don't know the symptoms that happen since I'm not an athlete nor am I studying Sports Medicine, so I'm not gonna be smart about something that I haven't studied on, but Simon Doull was the one who was critical of this decision by the management, and I feel an athlete has some credible insight more than us armchair critics

He said 'Big semi final, you rest your best bowler due to a back spasm?'

 

[yasir]

Well said Yasir Bhai.
Amazing that some pp s will twist anything to attack Amir ~ clearly they still have baggage to deal with.
Azhur s was right to say that Amir was not bowling full throttle, but no way was he suggesting that he was culpable for this by coasting or being lazy [like some pp s are stating]~ instead he was sending the message to Amir that mentally he needs to forget about the pass and just go for it. It was calculated tough love which had the desired impact.
A bit like Imran saying to Wasim [on the eve of the 1992 final] to forget about no balls and wides but to focus solely on bowling fast and look for wickets.

Muhammed Ali was not quite the boxer after he his ban [where he lost his best years as he didn't fight competitively for a few years] maybe the same s proving true for Amir [although I hope I am wrong].
Muhammed Ali returned as a different boxer although arguably a greater champion ~ just like I think Amir will [if people keep their expectations in check].
One thing the CT showed was that he certainly has the ability to become a great bowler.
Most observers would say he bowled the best spell of fast bowling against the best batsmen of the tournament.

What I like about Amir is his Mojo against India and showing up in tournaments. For team like Pakistan, LOI cricket is very important...

Since his return last year, one thing has been consistent, Amir's first 5 overs, no matter what the wicket is or where we are playing, nobody has been able to whack Amir, its only matter to time, when he will be getting more wickets...People discount effect of millions of drop catches, many of them were just school level sitters (like Azhar catch of Kohli), those matter a lot, Indians still cannot get over one no ball . Pakistan dropped Cook in Amir's 4th over of first test, drop telly was 10+ by the time we left England... If that had happen to any western bowler, some of those batsmen would have been fired on just that..Also, maybe he is not thinking like Wahab, pace first, he has been accurate first, fitter as time goes by and then go for blast. Fans need to show some patience...We want results as of yesterday :

 

[waleed88]

You forget that Pakistan played against SL, just two days ago. And he not only had to bowl 10 overs, he had to bat under high pressure to save the match. :

After what happen in first match against India, Pakistan/Amir were rightfully conservative...

He bowled more overs in last year than any other fast bowler except HW, first year of return and Pakistan has hammered him with work load of every format. We played like 8/9 test in 4-6 months, usually we play 6/7 in a year. Pakistan has to be careful about Hasan too, Amir and Hasan are key to resurgence of Pakistan, you don't want to kill the golden goose.

The pressure was so high it caused back spasms?

There was a big big gap between the South Africa and Srilanka match.. so you can't excuse that as a reason for his drop...

Especially after he left the match halfway against India

 

[ExpressPacer]

I think MIG is referring to you here so I am not sure why your laughing

You're not even making any sense. My first post was made way after that post by MIG.

 

[yasir]

Steyn vs Anderson is up for debate, I personally think the gap between the two isn't as big as the stats show. Steyn is quicker but Anderson is more skilled. Nonetheless, both are the two best bowlers of their era. The likes of Johnson had a great peak but the consistency over a prolonged period was found wanting. Amir is Mickey Mouse compared to them at this point in his career. He has achieved nothing in Test cricket.

Amir has one great test season out of 2/3, I would not right him off yet, He still has time, lets hope he gets fitter with time. Its hard for bowler to have break at peak, Amir was getting to the top, momentum and rhythm was behind him when scandal hit. People did not drooled over him in 2010 for nothing...

 

[waleed88]

You forget that Pakistan played against SL, just two days ago. And he not only had to bowl 10 overs, he had to bat under high pressure to save the match. :

After what happen in first match against India, Pakistan/Amir were rightfully conservative...

He bowled more overs in last year than any other fast bowler except HW, first year of return and Pakistan has hammered him with work load of every format. We played like 8/9 test in 4-6 months, usually we play 6/7 in a year. Pakistan has to be careful about Hasan too, Amir and Hasan are key to resurgence of Pakistan, you don't want to kill the golden goose.

There was a fitness camp, and the players went through fitness regimes to prove to the selection committee they are fit, so your excuse for that goes out of the window..

Amir was fast tracked into a side back, it wasn't as if we needed him, he wanted to be up there instead of playing domestics... his fans find the most convenient of excuses for him which includes dropped catches, but when he underperforms they say its because he was overburdened..

I don't see any such excuse come out for Wahab Riaz, who was bowling non stops in all formats from 2015 World Cup to the England series in UAE, and then till the English series of 2016...

Now fans will say Wahab has been playing cricket for a while, but then if Amir wasn't the superhero he was made out to be, why wasn't he persisted with playing domestics like two of his other spot fixing buddies are?

The fact is Amir has only 1 5'fer to show for all of his efforts since his comeback in the side in all formats...

Tell me another reason for that besides his pot belly

 

[90MPH]

Wasim was a much bigger guy and a had shorter run up.

You can't compare oranges with apples when physically they were not the same build and had different run ups and bowling actions.

Anyway it's obvious there are still a few with a chip on their shoulder - all it takes is a thread on a harmless picture with Cook and their venom gets spit out about not winning tours in Australia and beer bellies.

 

[yasir]

The pressure was so high it caused back spasms?

There was a big big gap between the South Africa and Srilanka match.. so you can't excuse that as a reason for his drop...

Especially after he left the match halfway against India

I don't think you understand injuries that well. He left India's game because of injury, he was carry niggles all along. Short tournament like that makes it harder to recover. Pakistan had to go through virtually 4 knockout games in 2 weeks, with two of them had less than 48 hours time...

SA and SL gap does not help with SL and ENG match that much. Bowlers have to bowl with great intensity, that was our only chance, we knew we could not score big...

High pressure game drains you, specially when your main bowler has to bat for hour and half to bail out team, batting is not his main skill, but he looked more assured than Sarfraz, go back and watch it again :

 

[AnOrdinaryPakistani]

View attachment 75296

oye cook tankie ma panie khatam ho geya ha.
kitne dair sa awaz maar raha tha ka motor jala do.
Tumhain sunaye nahi dayta.
Ab banda ko itna bhe kaam chor nahi hona chahiyay

 

[Suleiman]

Lol, Wasim had a swimmer like body in his career, was like Michael Phelps. Even now he is very fit and maintains good habits of jogging/running and weightlifting and good diet, was a whole show on this.

So is Imran and Miandad, both haven't aged that much. Being fit is a lifestyle, you don't just suddenly stop.

Now, you could put this down to camera angle, or just admit that he has some action going on there. But you have to admit he doesn't have the best possible build he can have if he wants the max amount of pace. He has 4 months off, if he goes hard at the gym and eats right he can come back looking like Mitch Johnson, who also got seriously jacked in a similar time frame with similar lean body type.

 

[MMHS]

Wasim was much fitter than Amir? How would you know this lol!
Have you even seen Wasim bowl live?
I have seen both live and I don't know how anyone can come to this conclusion.
In fact Wasim carried a bit of weight during some parts of his career ~ he was just a naturally gifted bowler that it didn't stop him getting wickets [probably could of got more though if indeed he was fitter].
Too many broadbrush statements from you

Wasim probably is fitter than most PAK pacers right now at 52+ age. Had it not been his diabetics, he could have walked into PAK WC team of 2007, may be even 2011!!!

Not saying Amir doesn't try hard enough - he is coming into the game after a long break & as I said many times, probably trying to make up time by hiding minor injuries; but Wasim was is different league at same age. It's tougher for fast bowlers in AUS to bowl long spells because of the hard landing surface there - at similar age of Amir, in that MCG Test, he bowled 70+ overs - fast, hostile & relentless on every ball; got 11 wickets & probably another 11 dropped off him. 11 years later, in his official mid 30s, he bowled over 70 overs again at Antigua, for 11 wickets again - entire current PAK team will struggle to match his work load for that Test as he batted for some times as well.

Apart from naturally gifted, he was hardest worker & he developed his body at younger age through County system. Without that diabetics & chronic groin issue, he could have finished almost doubling his run tally & 1.5 times of wicket. People don't notice his fitness much because of his unreal natural ability, but at 32, after bowling almost 30 overs, he batted for 120+ overs for his 257, and then as Captain had to stay at field for most part of last 100 overs - most of current cheap lot would have thrown the towel after reaching 100........

 

[waleed88]

I don't think you understand injuries that well. He left India's game because of injury, he was carry niggles all along. Short tournament like that makes it harder to recover. Pakistan had to go through virtually 4 knockout games in 2 weeks, with two of them had less than 48 hours time...

SA and SL gap does not help with SL and ENG match that much. Bowlers have to bowl with great intensity, that was our only chance, we knew we could not score big...

High pressure game drains you, specially when your main bowler has to bat for hour and half to bail out team, batting is not his main skill, but he looked more assured than Sarfraz, go back and watch it again :

Why don't these excuses come for some of our other bowlers?... Wahab was buried in abuse to no end getting injured in the same game.. but the difference between him and Amir was he tried to motor along while Amir just quit with the first niggle he had

 

[waleed88]

I don't think you understand injuries that well. He left India's game because of injury, he was carry niggles all along. Short tournament like that makes it harder to recover. Pakistan had to go through virtually 4 knockout games in 2 weeks, with two of them had less than 48 hours time...

SA and SL gap does not help with SL and ENG match that much. Bowlers have to bowl with great intensity, that was our only chance, we knew we could not score big...

High pressure game drains you, specially when your main bowler has to bat for hour and half to bail out team, batting is not his main skill, but he looked more assured than Sarfraz, go back and watch it again :

Also I've said it before, Sarf might've been more under pressure but Sarf was the man of the match for his brilliant knock not Amir, these dropped catches happen in high pressure situations and you gotta credit the man who put pressure under the opposition to create those dropped chances...

Sarf as you know has been a big thorn against Srilanka over the years, it starts from the maghrib chase and the 80* odd he scored in the Palekele test in the first innings 2015 which made Pakistan competitive and win that game

 

[yasir]

Why don't these excuses come for some of our other bowlers?... Wahab was buried in abuse to no end getting injured in the same game.. but the difference between him and Amir was he tried to motor along while Amir just quit with the first niggle he had

Wahab was abused to no end because of his horrible bowling, if he was 8-30 in that match, people would have different view, he gave more than double in same 8 overs(80+), that's hammering of epic proportion...I said to my friends, that was the last match of Wahab in Green shirt!!

If Amir ever bowled like that, even in a dead rubber, people will come after him with nukes not just guns

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Judging by this pic, Cook has never exercised a day in his life.

 

[shaz619]

I thought this thread was meant to be a little fun, anyhow congrats to all the India fans who are now calling out Amir for his alleged belly fat, I suppose that is more thought provoking because it was getting tough to digest Pakistan's triumph at the Champions Trophy and Sir Virat Chokli's ineptness against sideways movement.

 

[yasir]

There was a fitness camp, and the players went through fitness regimes to prove to the selection committee they are fit, so your excuse for that goes out of the window..

Amir was fast tracked into a side back, it wasn't as if we needed him, he wanted to be up there instead of playing domestics... his fans find the most convenient of excuses for him which includes dropped catches, but when he underperforms they say its because he was overburdened..

I don't see any such excuse come out for Wahab Riaz, who was bowling non stops in all formats from 2015 World Cup to the England series in UAE, and then till the English series of 2016...

Now fans will say Wahab has been playing cricket for a while, but then if Amir wasn't the superhero he was made out to be, why wasn't he persisted with playing domestics like two of his other spot fixing buddies are?

The fact is Amir has only 1 5'fer to show for all of his efforts since his comeback in the side in all formats...

Tell me another reason for that besides his pot belly

Pakistan has most thankless fans, this after epic CT win just week ago :

There is nothing to be learned at Domestic level. Pakistan rightly put Amir back in national team. If Asif was 25 or even less than 30, we would have put him in national team too, they both are on the wrong side of age.

 

[shaz619]

Judging by this pic, Cook has never exercised a day in his life.

He trained as much as Andrew Flintoff

 

[Rinnegan Sasuke]

PP really is funny place when there aren't any matches going on. Entertaining thread.

 

[shaz619]

Amir: What you reckon?

Cook: Not bad for a fat lad

 

[shaz619]

As they say, "bahana chahiyay"

And this is what some of the comments are here.

A light hearted thread destroyed by some who cannot find an ounce of happiness for Pakistan's success or its cricketers.

After Pakistan won the CT and Amir won the game for Pakistan, said posters vanished.

When they saw the picture in the OP, they got ideas and came back running like this:

 

[wasimjunior]

Lol, Wasim had a swimmer like body in his career, was like Michael Phelps. Even now he is very fit and maintains good habits of jogging/running and weightlifting and good diet, was a whole show on this.

So is Imran and Miandad, both haven't aged that much. Being fit is a lifestyle, you don't just suddenly stop.

Now, you could put this down to camera angle, or just admit that he has some action going on there. But you have to admit he doesn't have the best possible build he can have if he wants the max amount of pace. He has 4 months off, if he goes hard at the gym and eats right he can come back looking like Mitch Johnson, who also got seriously jacked in a similar time frame with similar lean body type.

The Comments about wasims body did make me chuckle...clearly the posters on here are getting younger each day. His body was FREAK like for a South Asian guy- he is still in outrageous shape, not to mention the fact he is 50 or diabetic.

Also Pak fans are getting extremely defensive on here. The champs trophy win is irrelevant- if you are to dominate world cricket then you need to push yourself to the max and clearly amir is not doing so with that physique.

Not going into hearsays; but I know on good authority that Amir and a few other Pak players have spent considerable time in curry houses over this England tour. Micky is obviously trying his best to clamp down on their diets but if they're not interested this will catch up with them.

 

[waleed88]

Wahab was abused to no end because of his horrible bowling, if he was 8-30 in that match, people would have different view, he gave more than double in same 8 overs(80+), that's hammering of epic proportion...I said to my friends, that was the last match of Wahab in Green shirt!!

If Amir ever bowled like that, even in a dead rubber, people will come after him with nukes not just guns

Like Amir was taken apart by Rostom Chase in the first ODI against the West Indies, however Amir retained his place while Wahab lost it to Junaid...

Amir might've bowled the best in the final but he has also been afforded the most chances to make a name for himself..

 

[AamirWarraich]

Mohammad Aamir needs to put on some muscle. If he does, he can hit 145-150kph regularly. I really hope this County stint helps him get his natural swing back. We've seen an improvement over the past year, but still most of his movement is off the seam/bounce, not in the air.

 

[theariezman]

Yes of course we can beat around the bush, argue semantics and whether he used the word "often" or "at times", and whether Azhar give him an earful before or after the match, but to me it is quite telling that the bowling coach has to publicly state that Amir does not bowl with the intensity that he should be bowling. This is something that a lot of people have highlighted, since he often appears to be going through the motions. However, in response, the fan-boys got triggered and were quick to shut the "haters" down before the bowling coach himself echoed their views. Nonetheless, fan-boys will be fan-boys so it is not a problem.

The fact is that Amir does not normally bowl with the intensity and passion that he needs to, and unfortunately he seems to be one of those players who are not easily motivated. Azhar will not always be there to tell him that he is bowling at 70% and needs to go flat out and bowl as fast as he can. It is about time Amir is able to do these things himself and I hope that he can use this CT Final as a turning point in his career. Getting rid of the belly fat would be a good start.

How about dropped catches, may be that 70% could become 80% due to this factor.

 

[hadi123]

He looks skinny fat there

 

[Asif khan]

I'm not sure I entirely agree with Amir bowling at 70% until his last few games. Like most bowlers, Amir too relies on confidence and clearly he seemed a little short of it in the India game all the way up to his second spell against Sri Lanka when he FINALLY took a wicket.

After that like most fast bowlers, past, present and future the old Mojo was back and suddenly he was sailing through the crease and looked the Amir of old so to speak.

It clearly shows a wicket does wonders for your confidence, body language and rhythm.