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In his latest blog entry on PakPassion.net, renowned fast-bowling coach Ian Pont writes about why he believes that Mohammad Amir is still one of the finest left-arm prospects he has ever seen and also comments about Mohammad Asif's uphill battle to re-establish himself, as both bowlers attempt to resurrect their careers after the expiry of their five year bans.
When Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were ripped from the Pakistan team, it left a large sized cricket hole in the set up.
Their enforced sabbatical though opened the way for other bowlers to come through and have their chance. During the past few years both Amir and Asif will have no doubt been thinking about not much more than a glorious return to international cricket.
But what of that return? And what do both of them have to do to ensure that success they had prior to events is still there - if and when - they are part of the set up again?
Mohammad Amir is quite simply, one of the finest left arm prospects I have ever seen. He has a strong, repeatable action that helps him be consistent in release of the ball. He is biomechanically efficient in other words, which is something that technical coaches purr over. We are all seeking bowlers who can achieve this as it means a lowering of potential injuries as well as an increase in accuracy and speed. Amir's pace (around 140 kph/87 mph) is plenty to cause problems and he could be even faster. Now, still just 23, he has his best years in front of him. But what makes him such a great bowler is the fact that he has a great strong wrist position - meaning he can shape and swing a cricket ball at pace.
Clearly parallels will be drawn with Wasim Akram and the fact that Wasim will have mentored Amir at some point is inevitable. However, Amir has the potential to be just every bit as good as Wasim in my view. And that's because he has a far better action than Wasim had. His technique as a fast swing bowler is superior. The only thing it seems that can stop Mohammad Amir is himself.
Mohammad Asif is a different animal. Firstly he is now 32 and it will be difficult for him to prove himself against the other young quicks who have filled the void in his time away. He could do it, but it will be harder. He also doesn't quite posses the same firepower pace as Amir but is able to extract good seam movement from the surface. I always felt watching Asif that if there was something in the pitch he would find it. And in that respect, he is much more of a traditional, seam up, hit the deck type of international bowler in the role of a Caddick, McGrath or Siddle type of bowler. I would like to see him gain an extra yard of pace and this would be done by trying to avoid a collapsed/bent front leg and 'throwing away' his non-bowling arm too early. As a front on bowler, he would benefit too from a slightly faster run up and better alignment with his arm pull (he pulls the ball sometimes from the leg side). All of these factors would help him hit the bat harder without losing his assets, thus making him a more dangerous bowler. I don't know if he would ever be someone to take on this type of work. Even if he didn't, he still has great skill levels.
I think on flatter surfaces, Asif would struggle more than Amir as swing is effective on ANY surface. But both bowlers have something to offer. It's simply whether their time has been and gone or whether they have a clean sheet to prove they are both worthy of selection through performance and ability.
Has time taken its toll or has it made them more determined? Will either of them get embroiled in politics of their situation of will they be able to simply focus 100% on what they need to do? Time will tell.
But it is great for Pakistan Cricket that a couple of talented performers are once again available very soon even though the future for them as individuals might be very different.
When Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were ripped from the Pakistan team, it left a large sized cricket hole in the set up.
Their enforced sabbatical though opened the way for other bowlers to come through and have their chance. During the past few years both Amir and Asif will have no doubt been thinking about not much more than a glorious return to international cricket.
But what of that return? And what do both of them have to do to ensure that success they had prior to events is still there - if and when - they are part of the set up again?
Mohammad Amir is quite simply, one of the finest left arm prospects I have ever seen. He has a strong, repeatable action that helps him be consistent in release of the ball. He is biomechanically efficient in other words, which is something that technical coaches purr over. We are all seeking bowlers who can achieve this as it means a lowering of potential injuries as well as an increase in accuracy and speed. Amir's pace (around 140 kph/87 mph) is plenty to cause problems and he could be even faster. Now, still just 23, he has his best years in front of him. But what makes him such a great bowler is the fact that he has a great strong wrist position - meaning he can shape and swing a cricket ball at pace.
Clearly parallels will be drawn with Wasim Akram and the fact that Wasim will have mentored Amir at some point is inevitable. However, Amir has the potential to be just every bit as good as Wasim in my view. And that's because he has a far better action than Wasim had. His technique as a fast swing bowler is superior. The only thing it seems that can stop Mohammad Amir is himself.
Mohammad Asif is a different animal. Firstly he is now 32 and it will be difficult for him to prove himself against the other young quicks who have filled the void in his time away. He could do it, but it will be harder. He also doesn't quite posses the same firepower pace as Amir but is able to extract good seam movement from the surface. I always felt watching Asif that if there was something in the pitch he would find it. And in that respect, he is much more of a traditional, seam up, hit the deck type of international bowler in the role of a Caddick, McGrath or Siddle type of bowler. I would like to see him gain an extra yard of pace and this would be done by trying to avoid a collapsed/bent front leg and 'throwing away' his non-bowling arm too early. As a front on bowler, he would benefit too from a slightly faster run up and better alignment with his arm pull (he pulls the ball sometimes from the leg side). All of these factors would help him hit the bat harder without losing his assets, thus making him a more dangerous bowler. I don't know if he would ever be someone to take on this type of work. Even if he didn't, he still has great skill levels.
I think on flatter surfaces, Asif would struggle more than Amir as swing is effective on ANY surface. But both bowlers have something to offer. It's simply whether their time has been and gone or whether they have a clean sheet to prove they are both worthy of selection through performance and ability.
Has time taken its toll or has it made them more determined? Will either of them get embroiled in politics of their situation of will they be able to simply focus 100% on what they need to do? Time will tell.
But it is great for Pakistan Cricket that a couple of talented performers are once again available very soon even though the future for them as individuals might be very different.
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it is not considered something special. PSL in the main t20 event now, and he's failing. Narine is better than Umar at this stage.
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