Mohammad Amir in Australia - predictions

[Saj]

Big series for Amir in conditions that should be ideal for his bowling. He has started the tour well although the opposition doesn't seem to be the strongest.

He has had catches dropped but has not been at his best since his return.

This series in Australia gives Amir an opportunity to silence his critics.

How do you think he will do in the Test series against Australia and also what do you want to see from him in terms of improvements?

 

[ali ray]

3 5fers

 

[ahmadharis1]

at least 5 dropped catches off his bowling

 

[Dman]

Another tour with a 35 + average coming up.

Followed by the usual excuses by his fans about dropped catches, 5 years ban and being unlucky.

And he will somehow be still hailed as the " Best Pakistani Bowler on the tour " inspite of taking Least Wickets at the Highest bowling average.

 

[Pete Rose]

i am think 13 wickets at 30 odd. avg.

 

[javiersuka]

A Bowler who was below average in English conditions will suffer even more down under. Expecting calls for him to be given one more year to find his feet back in International Cricket after conclusion of yet another disappointing tour.

 

[Deewana Mastana]

Probably he will continue running in and sending down 135k deliveries and on odd occasions getting that lost swing on one or two balls which is yet to be seen in his bowling.

 

[aloo paratha]

Lets not expect too much from him, he's been average and it's likely that it will continue that way.

 

[sarmad1983]

The key difference is that hes finally made the adjustment of bowling closer to the stumps in teh warmup game. lately he has been falling to his right, bowling over the wicket but i noticed that his follow through was now taking him straight up the pitch.

 

[sarmad1983]

hoping for 15+ wickets at an avg of less than 25. we are a better team with amir in form.

 

[yasir_shah_fan]

1. Will get back to bowling 140+
2. Will be the best bowler in Brisbane D/N - all hopes on Pakistan win need him at his best
3. Will be Pakistan's best bowler of the series

 

[Chrish]

Will get 34 @14

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Action and run-up's improved slightly but still needs plenty of work. That said, Australia provides an environment which gets your competitive juices flowing. Don't be surprised if everything clicks for him for a couple of spells like it did against India. He needs to leave everything out on the field.

Request to Misbah: Please don't make the fast bowlers bowl 7-8 overs spells FGS. Keep them short and sharp, and rotate them around.

 

[Xoib]

Mohammad Amir isn't pitching the ball full enough to get edges

Yes it looks unlucky when you keep going past the bat but what every one is missing is that he just does not pitch the ball full enough to get those edges he is also guilty of not targeting the stumps enough hence he is taking two major mode of dismissals out of the game. As a strike bowler you will go no where if you do not have one wicket taking go to delivery.

A cricketer can be unlucky for couple of games but it can't stretch over a course of 10 test matches if your luck is still not changing better to start looking at things you are doing wrong rather then blame your qismat.

 

[Madplayer]

Nobody from Pakistan looks to get lbw and bolwed dismissals.

 

[Mamoon]

He is just an average bowler now. The sooner everyone acknowledges it, the better.

Of course the deluded ones will continue to hope that one day he will turn the corner and become a world class strike bowler.

There are too many things that he lacks. Pace isn't very impressive, can only swing the ball for 2-3 overs, doesn't have a great bouncer or a yorker, and really struggles to mix his length.

He is bowling like a lifeless bowling machine and there doesn't seem to be an purpose and charisma in his bowling. Doesn't look menacing and threatening at all and thus, severely lacks impact.

I personally don't do the 'he is bowling well but doesn't have the luck' nonsense. He is not bowling well and is responsible for his own shortcomings.

 

[hur rizvi]

M. Asif's take on Amir

“Amir is bowling too wide from the stumps, whereas previously, he used to bowl close to the stumps. This minor thing changes the angle of the ball significantly.

“By overcoming that glitch, he can be useful as he was in the past.

“His current sytle is affecting his performance and I am sure this is the reason why he is missing the spark of his past exploits with the ball.”

The 34-year-old also questioned the team management for not picking up Amir’s flaw.

“It surprises me why the team management did not figure out this flaw yet,” he said. “But I believe he can be as effective as he was.”

 

[Indiafan]

M. Asif's take on Amir

“Amir is bowling too wide from the stumps, whereas previously, he used to bowl close to the stumps. This minor thing changes the angle of the ball significantly.

“By overcoming that glitch, he can be useful as he was in the past.

“His current sytle is affecting his performance and I am sure this is the reason why he is missing the spark of his past exploits with the ball.”

The 34-year-old also questioned the team management for not picking up Amir’s flaw.

“It surprises me why the team management did not figure out this flaw yet,” he said. “But I believe he can be as effective as he was.”

On the match thread someone said that Pakistani bowlers were bowling wider of the crease as umpires were warning them repeatedly for running on the pitch in multiple series

 

[Big Mac]

Good, shows he's a smart bowler who is always learning. Amir knows that if he finds the edge of the bat the slip cordon will only drop the ball so he has chosen to sacrifice his own effectiveness as a bowler in order to stop team morale from being harmed by dropped catches.

We need more big-hearted individuals like him in the team

 

[proud_pakistani]

Since his comeback Aamir has become more of a workhorse. - bowler who contains and keeps it very tight. While it's a good trait to have his wickets column hasn't been impressive and he has certainly lost wicket taking ability and has become one dimensional, almost like a bowling machine. If he could not take wickets in England or Australia I do not know where he will. The likes of Rahat and Wahab are eclipsing him in the wickets column at the moment which really should be a worry. Pakistan needs him as a strike bowler rather than a container. He still has the basics right but needs some mentoring and proper coaching to get things right. I think he lacks confidence and is playing with guilt due to events of spot fixing.

 

[Asim2Good]

as I said many times before, he was brought back into team way too quickly
he should have spent whole season in domestic and earn his place , not on past "glory"

 

[JibranAnsari]

england newzealand and australia , all gone. Now we will be playing in subcontinet type pitches. Do not expect him to get too many wickets in the next 18 months.

 

[Vivek_86]

Cut the story short , he is not bowling well enough to take wickets.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

I think we need to lower the expectations.

On green pitches he will be deadly most amount of time.

But on flat pitches he will be ordinary most amount of time with some spells that look aesthetically good without reaping in extensive rewards.

If we can accept his shortcomings and focus on his ability (green pitch and swing) then you have a good bowler package.

If you expect him to eclipse Wasim, Waqar, Steyn or Marshall then you are going to be waiting for a long time.

 

[Indiafan]

I think we need to lower the expectations.

On green pitches he will be deadly most amount of time.

But on flat pitches he will be ordinary most amount of time with some spells that look aesthetically good without reaping in extensive rewards.

If we can accept his shortcomings and focus on his ability (green pitch and swing) then you have a good bowler package.

If you expect him to eclipse Wasim, Waqar, Steyn or Marshall then you are going to be waiting for a long time.

Quick question, is he better than Bhuvi Kumar? Bhuvi gets 5-fer on green wickets every time. Looks good with new ball, beats bat a lot, does not leak runs. Recently learnt reverse swing. Amir has more pace

 

[SL_Fan]

He has bowled very well this Test actually. But bowled without much luck.

 

[in_cutter]

Asif is saying he is not using the crease well & others are saying he is not bowling full enough. Which experts are right? ��

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Quick question, is he better than Bhuvi Kumar? Bhuvi gets 5-fer on green wickets every time. Looks good with new ball, beats bat a lot, does not leak runs. Recently learnt reverse swing. Amir has more pace

Statistically not at all as far as Tests are concerned.

Amir is a better bowler in ODI's though.

Amir has more pace so even when is ordinary on flat tracks he tends to bowl better than Bhuvi. On green tracks the extra pace means Amir is a bit difficult to play than Bhuvi.

I would consider Bhuv to be a better Test bowler at the moment but it could all change if Amir starts performing better.

In ODI's it's not even a comparison.

Bhuv averages 38 while Amir averages 25.

 

[hur rizvi]

On the match thread someone said that Pakistani bowlers were bowling wider of the crease as umpires were warning them repeatedly for running on the pitch in multiple series

May be, they need to resolve this issue in the nets. I don't remember Amir getting warned though

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Not the case this game. He's pitched it up quite a lot. It's a marginal thing now. If he keeps bowling like he has, he will get the rewards.

 

[hur rizvi]

I think we need to lower the expectations.

On green pitches he will be deadly most amount of time.

But on flat pitches he will be ordinary most amount of time with some spells that look aesthetically good without reaping in extensive rewards.

If we can accept his shortcomings and focus on his ability (green pitch and swing) then you have a good bowler package.

If you expect him to eclipse Wasim, Waqar, Steyn or Marshall then you are going to be waiting for a long time.

WAs anything but deadly on the green mambas in NZL

 

[Xoib]

have to agree with Mamoon here his bouncer and yorker is very poor which should be a staple for any Pakistani pacer.

 

[Hamza78]

He bowl really well people who really understand test cricket they know he just need more luck that's it all com box was saying he was pick of the bowlers

 

[Indiafan]

WAs anything but deadly on the green mambas in NZL

Green mambas? Those were some of the flattest wickets in history. Anyways he has improved in the last 2 years, he was completely one dimensional before. He has 3 5-fers this year

 

[street cricketer]

Green mambas? Those were some of the flattest wickets in history. Anyways he has improved in the last 2 years, he was completely one dimensional before. He has 3 5-fers this year

He's talking about Amir.

 

[Indiafan]

Statistically not at all as far as Tests are concerned.

Amir is a better bowler in ODI's though.

Amir has more pace so even when is ordinary on flat tracks he tends to bowl better than Bhuvi. On green tracks the extra pace means Amir is a bit difficult to play than Bhuvi.

I would consider Bhuv to be a better Test bowler at the moment but it could all change if Amir starts performing better.

In ODI's it's not even a comparison.

Bhuv averages 38 while Amir averages 25.

2016 - Amir averages 38+, BK averages 15

 

[Xoib]

2016 - Amir averages 38+, BK averages 15

why are you derailing the original thread by bringing BK in this.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

2016 - Amir averages 38+, BK averages 15

Are you saying ODI's?

 

[WC-Passion]

He is just an average bowler now. The sooner everyone acknowledges it, the better.

Of course the deluded ones will continue to hope that one day he will turn the corner and become a world class strike bowler.

There are too many things that he lacks. Pace isn't very impressive, can only swing the ball for 2-3 overs, doesn't have a great bouncer or a yorker, and really struggles to mix his length.

He is bowling like a lifeless bowling machine and there doesn't seem to be an purpose and charisma in his bowling. Doesn't look menacing and threatening at all and thus, severely lacks impact.

I personally don't do the 'he is bowling well but doesn't have the luck' nonsense. He is not bowling well and is responsible for his own shortcomings.

This bold part sums it up pretty well.

 

[The_KING]

Agree with Mamoon. Amir is just an average bowler but his fans will keep reminding us of all the dropped catches and missed edges. I personally find him to be the less threatening pacer than Sohail and Wahab and one of them has fitness issues and the other is just brainless. That just sums up Amir as a bowler. Overrated.

 

[Pete Rose]

This bold part sums it up pretty well.

Everyone loves a winner and that rationalization that follows. so i dont read up too much in to it.
The bigger issue that OP points out, Aamir is not pitching up enough. Australia batsmen are naturally better at playing or leaving off a length. Considering they have played at miss at aamir a lot this match, it is only logical to pitch it up. Pitching up means he will go for runs. He needs to be braver - maybe today it was about damage control today and just keeping the runs down.

 

[WC-Passion]

Everyone loves a winner and that rationalization that follows. so i dont read up too much in to it.
The bigger issue that OP points out, Aamir is not pitching up enough. Australia batsmen are naturally better at playing or leaving off a length. Considering they have played at miss at aamir a lot this match, it is only logical to pitch it up. Pitching up means he will go for runs. He needs to be braver - maybe today it was about damage control today and just keeping the runs down.

True. Do you think the defensive mentality from the captain is the reason? I've never seen Misbah be tactically great but he definitely could do better with the fast bowlers.

 

[Pete Rose]

True. Do you think the defensive mentality from the captain is the reason? I've never seen Misbah be tactically great but he definitely could do better with the fast bowlers.

I think Misbah has a method working and he is loathe to change. He likes to dry up the batsmen and hope for them to make a mistake. Yesterday was probably the worst day of his captaincy from what I have seen. Maybe he was unnerved by the assault by Warner. I want to re-emphasize that Australian bowlers have performed quite poorly in this test series barring the first innings at the Gabba. These are two good batting line ups whose bowlers have not been good enough.

 

[joly]

He is just an average bowler now. The sooner everyone acknowledges it, the better.

Of course the deluded ones will continue to hope that one day he will turn the corner and become a world class strike bowler.

There are too many things that he lacks. Pace isn't very impressive, can only swing the ball for 2-3 overs, doesn't have a great bouncer or a yorker, and really struggles to mix his length.

He is bowling like a lifeless bowling machine and there doesn't seem to be an purpose and charisma in his bowling. Doesn't look menacing and threatening at all and thus, severely lacks impact.

I personally don't do the 'he is bowling well but doesn't have the luck' nonsense. He is not bowling well and is responsible for his own shortcomings.

brilliant post,people should accept the fact that he was never an average+ bowler, he may continue to take 2-3 5'fers but then even Nuwan Zoysa managed that occasionally,he doesn't have (never had) the merit to be one of world's top 10 current lot of pace bowlers

 

[Indiafan]

He bowl really well people who really understand test cricket they know he just need more luck that's it all com box was saying he was pick of the bowlers

He does bowl well but only with the new ball. All his play and misses, all his dropped catches, all happen within the first 15-20 overs of the innings. After that I have rarely seen him trouble the batsmen though he keeps it tight and does not leak runs

 

[javiersuka]

5 Wickets at an average of 45 after 2 Tests.

 

[Solid Snake]

Enough of this unlucky stuff- you make your own luck!

If he pitches it a fraction fuller he will likely be hit a bit, but will also start picking up wickets, which is what we need from him!

 

[moghul]

He has been the best of Pakistani bowler, always kept batsmen under pressure, just look at his economy compared to other. Sohail should forget about test cricket.

 

[Orange Tree]

5 Wickets at an average of 45 after 2 Tests.

Gosh, that's really really poor. A reality check for his fans.

Btw i always knew this. To be honest I m not at all surprised after seeing this abysmal bowling figure of Amir.

 

[Buffet]

Enough of this unlucky stuff- you make your own luck!

If he pitches it a fraction fuller he will likely be hit a bit, but will also start picking up wickets, which is what we need from him!

Agree here. Fear of getting driven stops bowlers to pitch it a bit fuller, but that's what you need to do. Being economical is useless if wickets are not taken. He was not too short in this match though, just need to shift a little bit to start catching nicks.

 

[Vivek_86]

He has been the best of Pakistani bowler, always kept batsmen under pressure, just look at his economy compared to other. Sohail should forget about test cricket.

Even though people make fun of Sohail , I think he is the bravest bowler in Pakistan lineup. He consistently pitches it up. And thereby more wicket taking ability

 

[AlphaFighter]

Even though people make fun of Sohail , I think he is the bravest bowler in Pakistan lineup. He consistently pitches it up. And thereby more wicket taking ability

To bad he becomes like Khalid Mehmood in his second spell onwards. No point in playing him.

 

[hur rizvi]

Green mambas? Those were some of the flattest wickets in history. Anyways he has improved in the last 2 years, he was completely one dimensional before. He has 3 5-fers this year

I was talking about Amir

 

[Varun]

Even Ishant Sharma will be a handful if he's gifted a green mamba in England. Refer Lord's 2014.

Amir built his reputation on such wickets in 2010, and then basked in the expectations for five years afterward. Inevitably, it all comes crashing down when he gets unresponsive wickets.

Pakistan play most of their cricket in the UAE and Lanka, so expect things to get a lot worse.

 

[Mamoon]

Amir would have been a nobody had he played over the last 5 years. Perhaps like Junaid, he would have been out of favor and languishing in BPL, CPL etc.

On the same note, had Umar Akmal for himself banned in 2010, his fans today would be repeating themselves on a loop that we got robbed of the next Tendulkar.

 

[Madplayer]

No flair and charisma in his bowling as [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] pointed out. Also, now that he has started batting well, forget about him improving his bowling.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

My favourite Amir (2009-2010) has two innings to impress. If he doesn't than Selection Committee have to drop him else selection committee needs to be fired. If Amir performs in next Text ie takes more than 6 wickets at an Ave of under 26 fine retain him else drop him. 3 Test series are enough. Cricket cannot be played on reputation alone. If you perform you stay. If you don't you need to be replaced. Optimum performance is needed.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

5 Wickets at an average of 45 after 2 Tests.

You have got an Eye. or the tukka worked anyhow well done.


My favourite Amir (2009-2010) has two innings to impress. If he doesn't than Selection Committee have to drop him else selection committee needs to be fired. If Amir performs in next Text ie takes more than 6 wickets at an Ave of under 26 fine retain him else drop him. 3 Test series are enough. Cricket cannot be played on reputation alone. If you perform you stay. If you don't you need to be replaced. Optimum performance is needed.

 

[Junaids]

You have got an Eye. or the tukka worked anyhow well done.


My favourite Amir (2009-2010) has two innings to impress. If he doesn't than Selection Committee have to drop him else selection committee needs to be fired. If Amir performs in next Text ie takes more than 6 wickets at an Ave of under 26 fine retain him else drop him. 3 Test series are enough. Cricket cannot be played on reputation alone. If you perform you stay. If you don't you need to be replaced. Optimum performance is needed.

Big, big call.

In Test cricket you need to build pressure with maiden overs and dot balls.

Here is how Pakistan look this series:

Wahab Riaz: 7 wickets @ 40.42, Economy 4.35
Sohail Khan: 3 wickets @ 43.66, Economy 4.22
Mohammad Amir: 5 wickets @ 45.00, Economy 3.12
Yasir Shah: 6 wickets @ 63.50, Economy 4.04

He is still the pick of the bowlers - the only one with any control.

 

[Statsman]

Big, big call.

In Test cricket you need to build pressure with maiden overs and dot balls.

Here is how Pakistan look this series:

Wahab Riaz: 7 wickets @ 40.42, Economy 4.35
Sohail Khan: 3 wickets @ 43.66, Economy 4.22
Mohammad Amir: 5 wickets @ 45.00, Economy 3.12
Yasir Shah: 6 wickets @ 63.50, Economy 4.04

He is still the pick of the bowlers - the only one with any control.

Hmmm...he had the worst average among all pace bowlers but a good economy. Can fill in the all rounder's spot and bowl tight from one end. Needs to consistently contribute with the bat though. Definitely shouldn't be dropped as he has potential.

 

[Gilly]

Big, big call.

In Test cricket you need to build pressure with maiden overs and dot balls.

Here is how Pakistan look this series:

Wahab Riaz: 7 wickets @ 40.42, Economy 4.35
Sohail Khan: 3 wickets @ 43.66, Economy 4.22
Mohammad Amir: 5 wickets @ 45.00, Economy 3.12
Yasir Shah: 6 wickets @ 63.50, Economy 4.04

He is still the pick of the bowlers - the only one with any control.

I don't know if you watched any of this test Juniads but Amir had a lower economy rate because most of his balls were wide of the off stump, the batsmen didn't have to play the ball. In fact the policy seemed to be just play inside the line of the ball to counter any inswing which has lead people to believe he was beating the bat. Amir was no threat to the batsmen who could take their time and just wait for the right ball.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

Big, big call.

In Test cricket you need to build pressure with maiden overs and dot balls.

Here is how Pakistan look this series:

Wahab Riaz: 7 wickets @ 40.42, Economy 4.35
Sohail Khan: 3 wickets @ 43.66, Economy 4.22
Mohammad Amir: 5 wickets @ 45.00, Economy 3.12
Yasir Shah: 6 wickets @ 63.50, Economy 4.04

He is still the pick of the bowlers - the only one with any control.

We do not need this Amir. We need 2009-2010 amir or slightly mediocre. We do not have any place for this Amir.

I am a huge Amir fan but my message is loud and clear take 5-6 wickets atleast in next Test at an average under 26-27 and be retained. Otherwise you should be dropped. Go back improve your built, workout your bowling's technical glitches, revive old amir, perform in domestic, get your confidence back and than make a comeback. In the history of crickets players have been dropped or rested for the same reasons and all this decisions were justified.

 

[Junaids]

I don't know if you watched any of this test Juniads but Amir had a lower economy rate because most of his balls were wide of the off stump, the batsmen didn't have to play the ball. In fact the policy seemed to be just play inside the line of the ball to counter any inswing which has lead people to believe he was beating the bat. Amir was no threat to the batsmen who could take their time and just wait for the right ball.

I agree, and it's worse than that.

I was at the Gabba, and as you know the "improvement" in the 2016-17 Pink Ball is that like the red one it goes soft and useless after 20 overs.

Amir often bowled from my end. And it was incredibly annoying when Smith and Handscomb put on their big partnership seeing Misbah amble over to tell him to bowl wider and wider and wider.

At first it seemed like a good ploy to build pressure. But after a while it became clear that all that had happened in a war of attrition was that Pakistan had squandered the ball while it was hard.

 

[Junaids]

We do not need this Amir. We need 2009-2010 amir or slightly mediocre. We do not have any place for this Amir.

I am a huge Amir fan but my message is loud and clear take 5-6 wickets atleast in next Test at an average under 26-27 and be retained. Otherwise you should be dropped. Go back improve your built, workout your bowling's technical glitches, revive old amir, perform in domestic, get your confidence back and than make a comeback. In the history of crickets players have been dropped or rested for the same reasons and all this decisions were justified.

Amir averaged 40 in Australia in 2009-10 too, in spite of one 5 wicket haul.

His problem here - and I've written about it for months - is that on grassless tracks like these you need height to get bounce.

Amir - like Trent Boult with the red ball last year - is just too short to succeed on these decks.

 

[Statsman]

I agree, and it's worse than that.

I was at the Gabba, and as you know the "improvement" in the 2016-17 Pink Ball is that like the red one it goes soft and useless after 20 overs.

Amir often bowled from my end. And it was incredibly annoying when Smith and Handscomb put on their big partnership seeing Misbah amble over to tell him to bowl wider and wider and wider.

At first it seemed like a good ploy to build pressure. But after a while it became clear that all that had happened in a war of attrition was that Pakistan had squandered the ball while it was hard.

So is it Misbah's fault again?

 

[Junaids]

So is it Misbah's fault again?

In the next post I commented on Amir having returned similar numbers in Australia last time - he's just too short for these conditions.

But basically yes. Pakistan had the bowling resources to do better than take 24 wickets in 2 Tests. But they have bowled to terrible fields using negative lines.

And that makes it awfully hard to get anybody out.

 

[Abdullah719]

Poor today with the new ball. Couple of good deliveries but, unusually, couldn't maintain a tight line at least. Combined with Imran's rubbish bowling, it was carnage with the new ball.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

He is not potential ATG.

The more he bowls, the easier it is to figure it out.

 

[Mamoon]

What are the excuses today?

 

[Xoib]

What are the excuses today?

he is rubbish that would be my excuse.

 

[arehaan]

Amir needs to go back to the nets and find his old swing else its curtains. Some time with wasim akram might just help

 

[Cricket World]

All he needs is good support from other end ala Asif type bowler and good bowling coach to guide him

 

[Saj]

Poor performance. Seems to be lacking the basics at the moment.

Looks a shadow of the bowler he was.

 

[in_cutter]

All he needs is good support from other end ala Asif type bowler and good bowling coach to guide him

Maybe he needs to support other bowlers too?

 

[JibranAnsari]

Another pakistani failure fast bowler , whats new?

 

[Saj]

63.4 overs since Mohammad Amir has taken a wicket in this series.

 

[Hasan123]

In desperate need of the upcoming county stint he will have with Essex

 

[Bewal Express]

Amir needs to go back to the nets and find his old swing else its curtains. Some time with wasim akram might just help

Wasim Akram sessions are a waste of time and make no difference. It is the biggest myth going that spending a few hours with a great bowler, makes any difference at all.