Mohammad Amir should play in the South Africa Test Series

[barah_admi]

Amir was dropped, no solid reasons ever given and any mention of a come back seems to be non-existent.

Yet he was the third highest wicket taker in the England test series, averaged a shade over 21 and bowled with good pace and swing. In his last t20 he took 3 wickets.

Yes his ODI form may not be the best for Pakistan and with Hasan Ali and co, the team may not need him but he is required and still good enough to be in the test side. His pace and swing is a perfect partner to Abbas's line and length. Add that to Yasir, hopefully a returning Shadab, and either Hasan Ali or Shaheen, maybe both, and it is the best possible attack Pakistan could field in the SA test series.

Hi FC returns have been good, lots of wickets in the last two games, including a five for. Why is he being left out/not mentioned?

 

[gazza619]

From what I understand Amir’s heart is not into playing test cricket. If you recall he made a statement a while ago that he was thinking of quitting the longer version?

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

If he is 100% fit then Pakistan will take him.

Bowling is not something, which will falter us in SA. Even without Abbas, we can grab 20 wickets.

 

[pakistani pride]

From what I understand Amir’s heart is not into playing test cricket. If you recall he made a statement a while ago that he was thinking of quitting the longer version?

Where and when did he say this?
Source?

 

[topspin]

If Abbas injured then he should make the XI as his replacement.

However if Abbas is fit to play then for me it is between him and Hasan Ali because Shaheen will be needed to diversify the composition of the bowling attack with his x factor.

Hasan Ali has shown that he can swing the new ball and has bowled very well so far this series. As much as I rate Amir, who on his day is a quality swing bowler, however he deserved to be dropped and it would be very unfair to drop Hasan Ali who's been bowling better of late.

Amir deserves to make the squad at least ahead of the likes of Wahab, Shinwari and Junaid who are all very mediocre.

Ideally the 3 front line seamers should be Abbas, Hasan Ali and Shaheen.

 

[Hasan123]

Hasan Ali, Shaheen,and Abbas should start. Amir should replace any of the 3 if they are injured or are out of form after the first game.

 

[barah_admi]

If Abbas injured then he should make the XI as his replacement.

However if Abbas is fit to play then for me it is between him and Hasan Ali because Shaheen will be needed to diversify the composition of the bowling attack with his x factor.

Hasan Ali has shown that he can swing the new ball and has bowled very well so far this series. As much as I rate Amir, who on his day is a quality swing bowler, however he deserved to be dropped and it would be very unfair to drop Hasan Ali who's been bowling better of late.

Amir deserves to make the squad at least ahead of the likes of Wahab, Shinwari and Junaid who are all very mediocre.

Ideally the 3 front line seamers should be Abbas, Hasan Ali and Shaheen.

On what basis did he deserve to be dropped?

 

[barah_admi]

Where and when did he say this?
Source?

He did say it but he said it would be some time in the future and not that he wanted to completely stop playing, just that he wanted to play less tests.

Regardless of that, people can change their mins and AMir has shown in the FC matches that he has playedt hat he may still be the best fast bowler in Pakistan.

Also what needs to be noted is that he has been dropped from all formats, which has nothing to do with his comments.

 

[topspin]

On what basis did he deserve to be dropped?

Simple - he's a lesser bowler right now to Hasan Ali, Shaheen and Abbas in tests although that could change if he gets his act together. But we shouldn't be surprised because he wanted to retire from the longer format, only for it to be rejected and instead urged to carry on by PCB.

As for LOIs we will need his bowling in the WC in England because he is economical and bowls well at the death. Also his record in ICC tournaments (other than WT20 2016) has been impressive.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Amir is definitely starting in South Africa. I'm 99% sure he will be sharing the new-ball with Abbas at Centurion.

 

[giri26]

Amir is definitely starting in South Africa. I'm 99% sure he will be sharing the new-ball with Abbas at Centurion.

I don't think he should. He has been awful in all forms for about a year now. Mohammad Abbas and Hasan Ali will be the two pacers, you probably will play Faheem as the all-rounder. Which probably leaves you with one seam bowling spot. why not Shaheen? Since he provides the X-factor? Do you want a guy who bowls wide of off-stump for economy rate?

 

[Arsalan Pro]

I don't think he should. He has been awful in all forms for about a year now. Mohammad Abbas and Hasan Ali will be the two pacers, you probably will play Faheem as the all-rounder. Which probably leaves you with one seam bowling spot. why not Shaheen? Since he provides the X-factor? Do you want a guy who bowls wide of off-stump for economy rate?

He has been awful only in ODIs but that too with a good economy rate.

He has been brilliant with the ball in both Tests and T20Is and his batting averages have been good across all formats.
Last 12 Months:

In Tests: Avg 18.41 Eco 2.33

In T20Is: Avg 12.77 Eco 6.21

 

[Ashraful_Rox]

Mohammed Amir should retire, he is no longer the youngster he once was :ramiz

Shahen Shah Afridi is the new flavor

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I don't think he should. He has been awful in all forms for about a year now. Mohammad Abbas and Hasan Ali will be the two pacers, you probably will play Faheem as the all-rounder. Which probably leaves you with one seam bowling spot. why not Shaheen? Since he provides the X-factor? Do you want a guy who bowls wide of off-stump for economy rate?

He was excellent in England and Ireland so I would still like to see him bowl in conditions that favor fast-bowling. He has been doing well enough in QEA trophy to earn a recall for South Africa. Shaheen is great but I'd rather see Amir starting than him.

 

[Mirpur express]

He needs to play domestic for the rest of the season @ perform to be recalled , why should he walk back into the side, there are about a dozen bowlers who are more committed then him , he just did not look interested in tests & his white bowl form suffered too, so I would leave him just now unless he we have Aamir 09 back

 

[waheed_sofi]

When will be squad announced for SA tour?

 

[barah_admi]

Simple - he's a lesser bowler right now to Hasan Ali, Shaheen and Abbas in tests although that could change if he gets his act together. But we shouldn't be surprised because he wanted to retire from the longer format, only for it to be rejected and instead urged to carry on by PCB.

As for LOIs we will need his bowling in the WC in England because he is economical and bowls well at the death. Also his record in ICC tournaments (other than WT20 2016) has been impressive.

It is debatable if he is a lesser bowler to Hasan Ali. I agree Abbas is better, then again, fully fit, Abbas is top 3 on the planet right now.

Shaheen however is just playing his first test so to claim he is better than Amir in tests is a remarkable statement, how do you explain that one?

 

[Pete Rose]

Yes, he will be a better opener than imam

 

[coy0607]

I think he'll definitely be in the team selected for SA. It will be a bigger challenge getting into the play 11. Abbas and Hassan are locks if healthy, Shaheen and Faheem are decent options. There may also be a temptation to play 2 spinners.

 

[barah_admi]

Amir is definitely starting in South Africa. I'm 99% sure he will be sharing the new-ball with Abbas at Centurion.

Abbas may not be fit, which is a huge loss.

He has been awful only in ODIs but that too with a good economy rate.

He has been brilliant with the ball in both Tests and T20Is and his batting averages have been good across all formats.
Last 12 Months:

In Tests: Avg 18.41 Eco 2.33

In T20Is: Avg 12.77 Eco 6.21

He was excellent in England and Ireland so I would still like to see him bowl in conditions that favor fast-bowling. He has been doing well enough in QEA trophy to earn a recall for South Africa. Shaheen is great but I'd rather see Amir starting than him.

My point exactly guys.

Amir seems to have been discarded as if he brought nothing to the table BUT he always did/does. He has the best pace out of the guys selected for Pak, good swing and picks up wickets regularly. The way he seems to not even be in selection debates is worrying, back room problems?

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Abbas may not be fit, which is a huge loss.





My point exactly guys.

Amir seems to have been discarded as if he brought nothing to the table BUT he always did/does. He has the best pace out of the guys selected for Pak, good swing and picks up wickets regularly. The way he seems to not even be in selection debates is worrying, back room problems?

Wrote this before Abbas's injury. There's still a chance that he will play the series so let's hope the injury isn't too serious because he has the potential to cause some serious havoc on those South African wickets.

 

[barah_admi]

Wrote this before Abbas's injury. There's still a chance that he will play the series so let's hope the injury isn't too serious because he has the potential to cause some serious havoc on those South African wickets.

Same here, hopefully the injury is not too bad...AND the recovery goes well, his line and control of length can be crucial, which is why I believe he should have Amir and Hasan complimenting him from the other end.

 

[cricketAXEpert]

Amir will play. Amir was not dropped but rather sent to Domestic Scene to Correct his bowling action. There is an interview given by Wasim Akram in which he discusses why Mohd Amir can't swing the ball like he was doing in Champions trophy. According to W Akram it will take 6 months of work to correct the action.

 

[Ummii]

Amir will play. Amir was not dropped but rather sent to Domestic Scene to Correct his bowling action. There is an interview given by Wasim Akram in which he discusses why Mohd Amir can't swing the ball like he was doing in Champions trophy. According to W Akram it will take 6 months of work to correct the action.

TBH He was not swinging the ball in Champions Trophy as well. It was just a Good spell in the final, which makes him " BARAY MATCH KA PLAYER" otherwise he was struggling in Champions trophy as well.

 

[topspin]

It is debatable if he is a lesser bowler to Hasan Ali. I agree Abbas is better, then again, fully fit, Abbas is top 3 on the planet right now.

Shaheen however is just playing his first test so to claim he is better than Amir in tests is a remarkable statement, how do you explain that one?

Amir has a higher ceiling than Hasan Ali, however the only one bowling to his potential is the latter.

As for Shaheen he has all the ingredients to become the next bowling superstar of Pakistan cricket because he possess the pace, bounce (due to his height) and skills. He is the type of bowler who can take the pitch out of the equation unlike the other left armers who all fall short from being a complete bowling package:

Amir - short and not the 90mph bowler he used to be
Junaid - lacks pace
Usama Mir - lacks pace
Shinwari - mentally weak, short and also lacks pace

It has been a while since Pakistan had a quality 6 ft 3+ fast bowler.

I've followed his career for some time before his first PSL and U19 WC this year and knew he was going to be a gem of a bowler from his infancy as a professional and so far I've been proven to be correct. I don't rate players this highly after a handful of appearances unless I believe they're a once in a generation bowler, which is what he is.

 

[Acricfan]

Amir has a higher ceiling than Hasan Ali, however the only one bowling to his potential is the latter.

As for Shaheen he has all the ingredients to become the next bowling superstar of Pakistan cricket because he possess the pace, bounce (due to his height) and skills. He is the type of bowler who can take the pitch out of the equation unlike the other left armers who all fall short from being a complete bowling package:

Amir - short and not the 90mph bowler he used to be
Junaid - lacks pace
Usama Mir - lacks pace
Shinwari - mentally weak, short and also lacks pace

It has been a while since Pakistan had a quality 6 ft 3+ fast bowler.

I've followed his career for some time before his first PSL and U19 WC this year and knew he was going to be a gem of a bowler from his infancy as a professional and so far I've been proven to be correct. I don't rate players this highly after a handful of appearances unless I believe they're a once in a generation bowler, which is what he is.

Mir Hamza is who you're looking for I guess. Usama Mir is a leg spinner.

 

[topspin]

Mir Hamza is who you're looking for I guess. Usama Mir is a leg spinner.

Thank you for correcting that's the one

 

[barah_admi]

Amir has a higher ceiling than Hasan Ali, however the only one bowling to his potential is the latter.

As for Shaheen he has all the ingredients to become the next bowling superstar of Pakistan cricket because he possess the pace, bounce (due to his height) and skills. He is the type of bowler who can take the pitch out of the equation unlike the other left armers who all fall short from being a complete bowling package:

Amir - short and not the 90mph bowler he used to be
Junaid - lacks pace
Usama Mir - lacks pace
Shinwari - mentally weak, short and also lacks pace

It has been a while since Pakistan had a quality 6 ft 3+ fast bowler.

I've followed his career for some time before his first PSL and U19 WC this year and knew he was going to be a gem of a bowler from his infancy as a professional and so far I've been proven to be correct. I don't rate players this highly after a handful of appearances unless I believe they're a once in a generation bowler, which is what he is.

My post and your post was not about potential. You said Amir is a lesser bowler than Shaheen in tests, which he is not. Also, in his last 3 tests before being dropped he averaged 18.4 with 12 wickets to his name.

Again, at no stage has Arthur, Sarfraz, Inzamam or nay of the selectors or management given a genuine reason for him being dropped. Hypothetical comparisons are not good enough.

 

[topspin]

My post and your post was not about potential. You said Amir is a lesser bowler than Shaheen in tests, which he is not. Also, in his last 3 tests before being dropped he averaged 18.4 with 12 wickets to his name.

Again, at no stage has Arthur, Sarfraz, Inzamam or nay of the selectors or management given a genuine reason for him being dropped. Hypothetical comparisons are not good enough.

Everyone knows Shaheen is a better bowler than Amir in the longer format and believe me it is no big deal when the latter is averaging 56 in UAE just to put this in to perspective.

Those last 3 tests were in England and Ireland with the duke ball - doesn't give an indication whatsoever of how they will perform in UAE with the kookaburra.

Hasan Ali is a way better bowler than Amir in UAE from the small number of games they've both played. He averages a very impressive 21, taken more than double the number of wickets despite bowling around 20% less number of overs. There is no comparison here really.

If you average 56 in UAE, you deserve to be dropped for tests played in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. I would do your research before coming up with statements:

"Again, at no stage has Arthur, Sarfraz, Inzamam or nay of the selectors or management given a genuine reason for him being dropped"

There is no cricketing logic whatsoever in picking Amir ahead of Hasan Ali or Shaheen for reasons explained above.

 

[barah_admi]

Everyone knows Shaheen is a better bowler than Amir in the longer format and believe me it is no big deal when the latter is averaging 56 in UAE just to put this in to perspective.

Those last 3 tests were in England and Ireland with the duke ball - doesn't give an indication whatsoever of how they will perform in UAE with the kookaburra.

Hasan Ali is a way better bowler than Amir in UAE from the small number of games they've both played. He averages a very impressive 21, taken more than double the number of wickets despite bowling around 20% less number of overs. There is no comparison here really.

If you average 56 in UAE, you deserve to be dropped for tests played in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. I would do your research before coming up with statements:

"Again, at no stage has Arthur, Sarfraz, Inzamam or nay of the selectors or management given a genuine reason for him being dropped"

There is no cricketing logic whatsoever in picking Amir ahead of Hasan Ali or Shaheen for reasons explained above.

This is a very personal post, it seems you have an issue with Amir beyond cricket and all of a sudden bowling really well abroad does not count...which especially makes no sense since the next series is abroad.

The bottom line is Amir has done very well in his most recent tests, done well in his final T20 and is tsill pretty good in ODIs. AT no stage does it make any sense to completely disregard him.

I could potentially understand an argument of Hasan, Shaheen and Abbas as the pace bowlers in SA with Amir in the squad but to talk about him as being completely useless and not even near the squad is not backed up by any evidence.

 

[waleed88]

There is no doubt the chosen one will be a part of the squad.

The guy with the 30+ average in Test matches and almost 3 years back into international career after being banned for 5 years deserves to be a part of all the top test matches that the team plays a part in, he gets to rest ; pick and choose his games because he got Virat Kohli out twice in two balls in the CT trophy final.

 

[topspin]

This is a very personal post, it seems you have an issue with Amir beyond cricket and all of a sudden bowling really well abroad does not count...which especially makes no sense since the next series is abroad.

The bottom line is Amir has done very well in his most recent tests, done well in his final T20 and is tsill pretty good in ODIs. AT no stage does it make any sense to completely disregard him.

I could potentially understand an argument of Hasan, Shaheen and Abbas as the pace bowlers in SA with Amir in the squad but to talk about him as being completely useless and not even near the squad is not backed up by any evidence.

Wrong - I'm a fan of Amir who has now acknowledged that he is fading away (especially in the longer format) and isn't one of our 3 best pace bowlers. So in future I kindly request you to refrain from such accusations when I've backed your query as to why he was dropped in the UAE tests with his horrific bowling stats in UAE.

Also if I had a personal problem with Amir, why would I cite the following in an earlier post?

As for LOIs we will need his bowling in the WC in England because he is economical and bowls well at the death. Also his record in ICC tournaments (other than WT20 2016) has been impressive.

When did I say/imply that we should completely disregard him? I just don't rate him in tests particularly with the kookaburra and on flat wickets evident from his stats in UAE, Australia et al.

In another thread (few mins ago) I posted my XI for the SA tour and he makes my XI if Abbas gets injured.

Also you conveniently ignored the bowling averages from my previous post. Unfortunate you instead chose to accuse me of personal bias when I have backed my thoughts with facts.