Mohammad Amir in 2009 was FAST but why has his pace dropped now?

[in_cutter]

Not fit enough for Test cricket. And of course the spot fixing saga has killed he’s career. Nobody but himself to blame.

 

[Shafi]

He is finished. He neither has any motivation. Time to move on

 

[Bewal Express]

Looks ok these days but is on borrowed time considering his age.

 

[TM Riddle]

Bowled in late 120s in his final over before tea when he should have upped the pace a bit to get wickets.

 

[BreadPakoda]

Apparently he can crank it up to 145+ when he wants to. Why doesn't he do it then, when his team needs it the most?

 

[jnaveen1980]

Age cannot be a reason certainly. I remember Rana Naved bowling at 140k at a very old age May be action shot pieces? not sure what it is.

 

[Varun]

Any bowler would have looked good on those green mambas he got served in 2010 in England. Even Ishant Sharma from the days of yore made full use of such pitches.

Too much has been extrapolated of his career based on that performance. Similar things have led others to call Ashwin an ATG, or Smith the next Bradman.

 

[sjahmed23]

It was mentioned during recent ind vs australia match that the ball being used in test matches these days doesn’t really help swing bowlers like it used to 3-5 years ago. The weight has changed and that has affected alot of bowlers. I think amir is suffering because of that and he is still sticking to the old ploy and not trying something new.

 

[Hitman]

His brain hasn't been in gear anymore since 2010. You do not lose your skills and ability at the age of 26. He lost all his heart and encouragement after 2010.

 

[BlackShadow]

It was mentioned during recent ind vs australia match that the ball being used in test matches these days doesn’t really help swing bowlers like it used to 3-5 years ago. The weight has changed and that has affected alot of bowlers. I think amir is suffering because of that and he is still sticking to the old ploy and not trying something new.

Likes of Bhuvi, Anderson, Steyn, Rabada, Boult etc have been averaging low 20s in this period.

I am sure swing is the primary weapon for them all.

 

[Varun]

Speaks volumes when the successor to Wasim Akram averages 31 after 35 tests.

 

[Savak]

There is no rocket science involved. Team's started watching video tapes and know that all he does is bring the ball back into the right hander and mostly pitch the ball up, he does not have a good bouncer. Even Rohit Sharma changed his stance against him accordingly.

The fact his pace drops alarmingly in his second and third spell tells you about the quality of his match fitness and stamina. In stark contrast, the likes of Bhumra, Shami, Yadav and co keep bowling at 85 mph minimum in every spell which tells you how far behind Indian pacers have left their Pakistani counterparts.

 

[Bewal Express]

There is no rocket science involved. Team's started watching video tapes and know that all he does is bring the ball back into the right hander and mostly pitch the ball up, he does not have a good bouncer. Even Rohit Sharma changed his stance against him accordingly.

The fact his pace drops alarmingly in his second and third spell tells you about the quality of his match fitness and stamina. In stark contrast, the likes of Bhumra, Shami, Yadav and co keep bowling at 85 mph minimum in every spell which tells you how far behind Indian pacers have left their Pakistani counterparts.

His problem is basic one- his release is too wide from the crease. Next time you watch him,freeze frame him and you will see that at the point of release he is closer to the middle of the crease than the right shoulder of the umpire, ideally he should be over the right shoulder of the umpire but the danger is that you run on the wicket. From the angle he bowls his swing has to be exceptional and his isnt.

 

[Savak]

His problem is basic one- his release is too wide from the crease. Next time you watch him,freeze frame him and you will see that at the point of release he is closer to the middle of the crease than the right shoulder of the umpire, ideally he should be over the right shoulder of the umpire but the danger is that you run on the wicket. From the angle he bowls his swing has to be exceptional and his isnt.

Wasn't he working on these problems in domestic cricket? If he has not rectified it still, what was he doing all this while?

Secondly his performances in domestic cricket need to be taken with a pinch of salt on our bowler friendly pitches

 

[Bewal Express]

Wasn't he working on these problems in domestic cricket? If he has not rectified it still, what was he doing all this while?

Secondly his performances in domestic cricket need to be taken with a pinch of salt on our bowler friendly pitches

I think this is psychological problem, he fears he will hit the umpire if he gets too close, and I think in his case it can't be fixed

 

[Saj]

In 2009 he was new, his focus was on bowling quick for his country and establishing himself.

I guess now he has to conserve himself for 3 formats, County, PSL, international cricket and other leagues and ensure the dollars are coming in.

 

[LordJames]

Over half of the comments have nothing to do with drop in pace. Weight of the ball, wrist position, lack of swing have not a lot to do with PACE.

 

[Buffet]

Not fit enough for Test cricket. He is good for sending 2-3 overs with pace in T-20. He needs to improve his fitness otherwise you can't simply bowl few overs with pace and then trundle rest of the time.

 

[The Viper]

It feels at times that he is coasting away and not trying as hard as he can.

 

[hadi123]

Well in 2009 he was just a teenager and bowling quickly so we can put the "he needs to build muscle" theory to bed, this definitely isn't true in Amir's case. I think the main reason is cos he was out of cricket for 5 years, people don't realize for a sportsman that's an incredibly long time not to be playing any professional cricket, of course being out for that long it's understandable why he lost the ability to bowl so quickly

 

[Chief Destroyer]

What about frequent niggles here and there ?

And what is the way out ?



I don't believe that he doesn't want to bowl quick.

Niggles here and there and normal for fast bowlers.

His glutes are dead and his mechanics are off. These are things you can fix in a professional sporting setup. But we don't have that in Pakistan so I don't see any changes in the future. Send him to South Africa or Australia if you wanna fix him.

 

[Rayyman]

Niggles here and there and normal for fast bowlers.

His glutes are dead and his mechanics are off. These are things you can fix in a professional sporting setup. But we don't have that in Pakistan so I don't see any changes in the future. Send him to South Africa or Australia if you wanna fix him.

Aside from Asia Cup, Amir has bowled well in every game I've watched. Even today.

He needs to get stronger. Most of the best pacers have put-on muscle. It's clear that Amir does no work in the gym. He is skinny-fat, and gets winded easily.

Top speed can increase later (145ish is fine), but average speed needs to stay around 135 kph. Today he bowled well, but at 125 which is unacceptable and will hardly get wickets.

 

[Mueez]

We are in a mess. We have the talent but we want to know the verdict on Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer.

"They are arguably the best opening pair of bowlers...I have seen both Wasim (Akram) and Aamer and I can tell you Amir is ahead of what Wasim was at this age...


Imran Khan

Somebody show this to Amir, we had so many expectations from you...

 

[Usman Chadda]

He is struggling with his fitness. The rhythm is not there. Heck, this is not the same Amir from 2016, forget the one that made his debut in 2009.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

Niggles here and there and normal for fast bowlers.

His glutes are dead and his mechanics are off. These are things you can fix in a professional sporting setup. But we don't have that in Pakistan so I don't see any changes in the future. Send him to South Africa or Australia if you wanna fix him.

6 years Post ban


27-02-2016


T20i match


Average Speed : 89.2 mph

Fastest : 93.5 mph


The only time post ban we saw Amir of 2009-2010 and to a lesser extent in CT final (Yes Kohli's wicket was huge)


[UTUBE]Qx4ED8Wj0PA[/UTUBE]



I ll add even UK & NZ to your list. I back your suggestion if there is chance of Amir reviving his fitness, seam release, swing and most importantly revive his pace.


In this match he was marginally fast medium and mostly medium fast which is quite poor tbh.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

6 years Post ban


27-02-2016


T20i match


Average Speed : 89.2 mph

Fastest : 93.5 mph


The only time post ban we saw Amir of 2009-2010 and to a lesser extent in CT final (Yes Kohli's wicket was huge)


[UTUBE]Qx4ED8Wj0PA[/UTUBE]



I ll add even UK & NZ to your list. I back your suggestion if there is chance of Amir reviving his fitness, seam release, swing and most importantly revive his pace.


In this match he was marginally fast medium and mostly medium fast which is quite poor tbh.

UK and NZ aren't as good. SA and Australia specialize in maximizing the pace of every bowler.

 

[Chokli]

We are in a mess. We have the talent but we want to know the verdict on Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer.

"They are arguably the best opening pair of bowlers...I have seen both Wasim (Akram) and Aamer and I can tell you Amir is ahead of what Wasim was at this age...


Imran Khan

Somebody show this to Amir, we had so many expectations from you...

And he got found out, he wasn't the saviour people thought he would be.

Which is fine, he's still a decent bowler... not a future ATG people thought he would be.

 

[Cornered-Forever]

What has happened to Mohammad Amir's pace?

He used to be a consistent 90-93mph bowler and if my memory serves me correctly, even upon his return to international cricket, he was still bowling 145kph.

Recently, his pace has been hovering around 80-85mph. I can't help but assume this reduces his effectiveness despite his recent form.

At first I attributed this to his comeback from illness in the previous series, but this has lingered on throughout the entire world cup.

His form has been great, but is this concerning?

 

[PaceOverEverything]

1. Believe he was banned from all forms of cricket for 5 years.

2. Yes you can go to the gym and bowl in the nets all you want however there is no substitute for match fitness and continuity.

 

[HasanA]

No

/thread

 

[Cornered-Forever]

1. Believe he was banned from all forms of cricket for 5 years.

2. Yes you can go to the gym and bowl in the nets all you want however there is no substitute for match fitness and continuity.

Even after his initial comeback from the ban he was averaging 88-90mph, no?

 

[Dingolfy]

Poor Fitness.

 

[Rayyman]

He is trying to swing the new ball. Also, at the death he bowls slow into pitch.

Definitely could be faster if he gets stronger.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

1. Believe he was banned from all forms of cricket for 5 years.

2. Yes you can go to the gym and bowl in the nets all you want however there is no substitute for match fitness and continuity.

Mohammad Amir bowled one of his best and fastest spell in 2016.


It was against India in a T20i match held at Dhaka Stadium


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thoroughly enjoyed watching Mohd.Amir bowl tonightIt was a great sight to see him swing the ball at 145-150kphGr8 talent <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AsiaCupT20?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AsiaCupT20</a></p>— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) <a href="https://twitter.com/VVSLaxman281/status/703647289227612160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[fitCricFan]

Bowl smart, not fast. I am ok with Md Amir bowling anyway he wants if he is able to strike at crucial stages and mainly at teh start of the innings.

If you look at some of the greats of pace bowling like Michael Holding, Wasim Akram, Richard Hadlee, they had a greatly shortened runup in the latter part of their carrres but they were equally or more effective in takling wickets. You need to be a thinking bowler, not just with the ability to throw it the fastest

 

[JellyBro]

Pace has indeed been mediocre. Could be the chicken pox

 

[Greenstorm]

Lack of fitness due to lack of motivation.

 

[ARK Rafay]

As an 18 years old he was hitting 145+ consistently and could bowl 150+ when he wanted to.

He's the biggest lost talent in Pakistan cricket. Above Umar Akmal. Had he been playing. No wonder he would've been averaging 150+ KPH with big inswingers.

 

[TheNightWatchman]

not one to point fingers, but a change in bowling coach can do him alot of favors. He was under Waqar during his 09-10 stint. And I recall all fast bowlers doing well around that time. Umar Gul really improved his game under Waqar. Amir needs someone to help utilize his skill. I suspect the drop in pace is partly due to Azhar.

 

[ARK Rafay]

not one to point fingers, but a change in bowling coach can do him alot of favors. He was under Waqar during his 09-10 stint. And I recall all fast bowlers doing well around that time. Umar Gul really improved his game under Waqar. Amir needs someone to help utilize his skill. I suspect the drop in pace is partly due to Azhar.

Do you think he can become bowling coach of Pakistan? Or it will be a personality clash between him and the head coach?

 

[TheNightWatchman]

Do you think he can become bowling coach of Pakistan? Or it will be a personality clash between him and the head coach?

Waqar has a huge ego on him. He'll want to make team decisions himself so personality clash will be an issue. I'm just saying he was really good with the bowlers he worked with. Otherwise by all means welcome him

 

[sweep_shot]

As you grow older, pace can drop.

Despite drop in pace, Amir is still a very good bowler.

 

[WengerOut]

Maybe he has fudged the age by 5 years.

 

[ManFan]

Maybe he has fudged the age by 5 years.

Or maybe it’s because he didn’t play for 5 years...

 

[WengerOut]

Or maybe it’s because he didn’t play for 5 years...

Dint he bowl relatively quick just after the comeback?

 

[ManFan]

Dint he bowl relatively quick just after the comeback?

Yes but it dropped very quickly because his workload became too much.

He was played in all three formats and his body couldn’t adjust after years off.

 

[IAJ]

Or maybe it’s because he didn’t play for 5 years...

Those 5 years have really hampered him. He was in amazing form before getting banned. And could have been the best bowler in the World today if he didn’t mess it up, but can only blame himself. But it’s amazing he still is one of the best even being out for so many years. Pakistan bowlers know the art of ruining their careers. Asif and Raza Hassan are two other examples.