Should Mohammad Amir be asked to play in the Test series against England?

[MenInG]

Yes he has said he is done with Tests but he is a resource which Pakistan can use and will be bowling i swing friendly conditions so no harm in asking him to make an exception - or is there?

Surely he can be another experienced hand on the field to help the younger bowlers so I personally see no harm in asking him and would be good if he agrees.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Should definitely be asked, and Misbah should offer to manage his workload by rotating him with other quicks e.g. only ask Amir to play 2 tests out of 3 vs England, 1st and 3rd. Also offer to rotate him in a 5 bowler attack.

Begin negotiating from this point as an extended olive branch. Amir will no doubt offer to play one test at least.

 

[MenInG]

Should definitely be asked, and Misbah should offer to manage his workload by rotating him with other quicks e.g. only ask Amir to play 2 tests out of 3 vs England, 1st and 3rd. Also offer to rotate him in a 5 bowler attack.

Begin negotiating from this point as an extended olive branch. Amir will no doubt offer to play one test at least.

Think a lot of Pak supporters will be happy to see Amir back in whites but tbh - I dont like this pick and choose thing (about which format to play) from him.

 

[Junaids]

Amir is the one Pakistan bowler whom England actually fear.

Naseem and Shaheen may surprise England, but Amir is the one they fear.

 

[Shazzam]

No its time to move on from Amir. We have enough bowlers in our country to replace him.

 

[Kingpin786]

It doesn't look sensible that we are asking a guy to play who has not played test cricket since early 2019 for plus he has not played a single practice match

 

[Hasan123]

Why should we ask him? He wanted to retire from tests for a while. Let's move on from him in tests.

We know he will do something similar in LO. He will ditch us when it suits him.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Think a lot of Pak supporters will be happy to see Amir back in whites but tbh - I dont like this pick and choose thing (about which format to play) from him.

Amir’s pick and choose aside, Pak Cricket needs to begin rotating quicks. We’ve run too many into the ground.

So if Amir’s attitude (unappealing as it may be) teaches Misbah the value of rotation then Pak cricket will have learned one of the biggest, best possible things when it comes to managing Shaheen and Naseem.

(We can agree to disagree about whether Amir’s attitude is justified or not, and I completely understand your point of view)

 

[Titan24]

If his retirement has something to do with workload management and lack of rotation followed by the absence of 5 years taking toll on his body as the word has been then thatÂ’s something which can be managed and can be discussed. Pak plays somewhere between 7-9 tests in normal years and playing selective 4-6 tests shouldnt be an issue I think.

If he is not interested in test cricket at all then thatÂ’s completely a different matter and I dont think anything can be done about it. However, if its just to do with workload management it would be a shame if he doesnt approach management with his concerns or management doesnt approach him with potential workload management strategies.

Playing test cricket is a dream for many aspiring cricketers, I think Amir should have been bit more pro active and should have approached the new management before taking extreme calls. We dont have any information whether he approached the new management or discussed with them anything at all which to be honest wasnt a great way to handle it if decision was influenced by workload only.

 

[Shaka81]

No, he made his decision and should be respected for doing what's best for his health and career.

If he can extend his career and produce better performances in limited overs cricket, then forget test cricket. It isn't important enough to take the risk.

 

[Titan24]

Amir’s pick and choose aside, Pak Cricket needs to begin rotating quicks. We’ve run too many into the ground.

So if Amir’s attitude (unappealing as it may be) teaches Misbah the value of rotation then Pak cricket will have learned one of the biggest, best possible things when it comes to managing Shaheen and Naseem.

(We can agree to disagree about whether Amir’s attitude is justified or not, and I completely understand your point of view)

Agreed. Eng and Aus have been really good when it comes to rotation and management. They dont put in every bowler of theirs in every single T20 match or dead rubber ODIs and even rotate their pacers with in a test series. I think worKload management is not only important to keep bowlers fit but, also to keep them rested/fresh which can provide optimal level of performance on the field.

Shaheen and Naseem havent played a T20 under this management as of now. Personally I think unless the T20s are leading upto a T20 WC they shouldn’t play them much in my opinion. PSL and probably one other league is enough. Even in ODIs they shouldnt olay dead rubbers and should be rotated.

 

[angrypathan]

No. Hasn't played cricket in months, and first class cricket in over a year. He won't have the match fitness for test cricket, and there aren't any warm ups left.

 

[Mamoon]

Hopefully not. We don’t want him and his fans moaning again about he has been mistreated and not handled with care.

 

[AAli98]

Why not the only 2 world class players pak have are Baba Azam & Amir.

The rest are just your average run of the mill test players no one will remember the likes of Azhar & shafiq 15 years from now.. no new talent coming through hence y malik & Hafeez have been recycled since the dinosaur ages!!

 

[shamaan]

Why not the only 2 world class players pak have are Baba Azam & Amir.

The rest are just your average run of the mill test players no one will remember the likes of Azhar & shafiq 15 years from now.. no new talent coming through hence y malik & Hafeez have been recycled since the dinosaur ages!!

Amir world class based upon what ?

 

[MMHS]

I hope not.

Not because Amir is the most opportunist, selfish brat out there rather because he is just not good enough for that “extra khatir” to be honest. Imran Khan was requested for a come back, even Aussies called back 42 years old Bob Simpson, so it’s not new in cricket; but the incumbent is just not worthy enough here.

But, the main reason is - it’ll end in tears. The guy, in his peak after comeback had a series averaging 12 wickets for 42 against arguably an weaker English batting lineup (yes, he did halved the average next time - in two Tests Micky mouse tour in late May, early June, where PAK almost played a two day Test); now at this “fading” age without any match practice and mental preparation, in a series played in August with “customised” playing condition, that wet dream will end in wet tissues - better be safe than sorry.

 

[Hadi Rizvi]

I hope not.

Not because Amir is the most opportunist, selfish brat out there rather because he is just not good enough for that “extra khatir” to be honest.

Haven't seen you use such strong words for a fellow poster let alone a professional athlete. Why so much stick for Amir?
Unexpected and uncharacteristic from you really. I've only ever seen in-depth, analytical and sensible posts from you but this one just seems personal.

We literally have coaches, selectors and top PCB management hoarding multiple senior posts simultaneously since time immemorial yet Amir is the "most opportunist, selfish brat out there". Wow.

 

[Zaz]

No. Hasn't played cricket in months, and first class cricket in over a year. He won't have the match fitness for test cricket, and there aren't any warm ups left.

This Maybe misbah can speak to him about future assignments and come to a agreement but this series should be a no due to the above

 

[Hadi Rizvi]

Amir should definitely be asked to play but after the 1st test since he won't have the match fitness and will definitely be rusty.

There is zero doubt that Amir's inclusion will only boost the quality of an already impressive attack. Only a madman would say no to an attack of Amir, Shaheen, Naseem and Abbas.

Knowing Misbah though, he will never do it. He's a stubborn guy and will never think out-of-the-box. Besides, him and Waqar have publicly shown vendetta against Wahab and Amir, which is pathetic to say the least, especially coming from the 2 individuals that destroyed PAK cricket in LOIs from 2011-2016.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

No. If you stoop that low, where does the buck stop? If Aamir gets to play tests, that would mean less opportunities for naseem or Shaheen and that would hamper their development . If Aamir wants to play test cricket, he should play atleast one season of first class and then prove that he is indeed worthy of selection. This guy can leave at any time at a whim and needs to prove he is serious about this format before getting chance again.

 

[Forum363]

The question is simple - is he good enough to be a first choice bowler for the Test team. And the answer is HELL YES. We literally only have 3 decent Test bowlers at the moment - Abbas, Shaheen and Naseem. Two of those are teenagers and shouldn’t be playing every test. Amir makes that 4 bowlers. Plus he bats better than them all. So ofcourse he should be in the team.

All the other points about ego and retiring and managing and his past etc is irrelevant. Whenever he’s available, make use of him. Win more games.

 

[TrentDevil]

No, he has retired and he doesn't deserve it at all. He's done in Tests and this chapter should be closed for once & all.

 

[HappyWarsFan]

The question is simple - is he good enough to be a first choice bowler for the Test team. And the answer is HELL YES. We literally only have 3 decent Test bowlers at the moment - Abbas, Shaheen and Naseem. Two of those are teenagers and shouldn’t be playing every test. Amir makes that 4 bowlers. Plus he bats better than them all. So ofcourse he should be in the team.

All the other points about ego and retiring and managing and his past etc is irrelevant. Whenever he’s available, make use of him. Win more games.

How is he best test bowler with a mediocre 30 bowling average while playing mostly in SENA? Lol.

 

[Forum363]

How is he best test bowler with a mediocre 30 bowling average while playing mostly in SENA? Lol.

Because his career has been spread over a decade, split by a 5 year gap (regardless of the reason). Stats don’t tell the full story.

Anyone who watches him bowl and listens to how the best batsmen of this generation (Kohli, Smith) talk about him, can see he’s got incredible skill.

Plus, the other bowlers in reserve are the likes of Wahab Riaz, Shinwari, Musa. If you can’t see the difference between them and Amir - and simply resort to quoting an average, then there’s no point having a cricketing debate with you.

 

[gazza619]

Yes definetely!

 

[Syed1]

Because his career has been spread over a decade, split by a 5 year gap (regardless of the reason). Stats don’t tell the full story.

Anyone who watches him bowl and listens to how the best batsmen of this generation (Kohli, Smith) talk about him, can see he’s got incredible skill.

Plus, the other bowlers in reserve are the likes of Wahab Riaz, Shinwari, Musa. If you can’t see the difference between them and Amir - and simply resort to quoting an average, then there’s no point having a cricketing debate with you.

You smashed a full toss out of the ground

 

[Ahson8]

Lol what kind of rubbish question is this ? He hasnt played any of the practice games, why would he be asked to play tests ?

Also, he is not better than Abbas, Nasim or Shaheen.

 

[coy0607]

No cricket whatsoever in ~5 months
Last played a test match ~18 months ago
Pak Already has three fast bowlers well set and in rhythm, with a forth (Sohail) pushing for a place with quality performances.

Amir does well in England and is clearly a good bowler, but it would be foolish to play him right away.

 

[nouman]

Worst Test strike rate for a specialist bowler since his comeback.

So no.

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/e...6;spanval2=span;template=results;type=bowling

 

[sweep_shot]

Amir generally always does well in England. Pitches suit him.

Imagine a Test bowling attack consisting of Amir, Naseem, and Shaheen.

 

[aloo paratha]

No. Amir was mediocre even before he retired. Bringing him back in tests when he hasn't played a FC match in a year, and hardly even bowled in the last 5 months would be a braindead decision.

 

[MMHS]

Haven't seen you use such strong words for a fellow poster let alone a professional athlete. Why so much stick for Amir?
Unexpected and uncharacteristic from you really. I've only ever seen in-depth, analytical and sensible posts from you but this one just seems personal.

We literally have coaches, selectors and top PCB management hoarding multiple senior posts simultaneously since time immemorial yet Amir is the "most opportunist, selfish brat out there". Wow.

He retired from Test cricket a month before Australia tour, leaving his team with no other options but to pick few rookies and an obsolete Imran Khan - that’s after PCB doing everything to clear his name and fast track into cricket. He was equally guilty like Asif & Butt - look where Asif is today.

Absolutely no sympathy for this guy - this is from someone suggesting to make him captain for three years.

 

[Rayyman]

He retired from Test cricket a month before Australia tour, leaving his team with no other options but to pick few rookies and an obsolete Imran Khan - that’s after PCB doing everything to clear his name and fast track into cricket. He was equally guilty like Asif & Butt - look where Asif is today.

Absolutely no sympathy for this guy - this is from someone suggesting to make him captain for three years.

He retired in July, the tour was in November...

 

[MMHS]

He retired in July, the tour was in November...

Could be - he retired before the next Test tour, which was the start of WTC & against Australia, in Australia.

 

[Kroll]

He's not played any practice matches so doubt they'll risk him for the 1st Test. Might only be asked to play if there are injuries for the remainder of the series.

 

[Saj]

Well Wahab is there and so is Sohail Khan.

It'll be interesting to see what happens if one of the 3 certain picks are injured.

 

[MenInG]

Well Wahab is there and so is Sohail Khan.

It'll be interesting to see what happens if one of the 3 certain picks are injured.

Just imagine if Amir comes in and runs through the English batting order! What then for PCB and Amir?

 

[Deewana Mastana]

No.

He does not have the fitness to play for 5 days as he is just not fit enough. Let us not make comparisons between a big unit like Gabriel and a skinny Amir as there is just nothing to compare really.

Gabriel despite his fitness issues has played 3 back to back tests and has gone off the field for treatments and it has been questionable as to why they played him in the ongoing last Test despite not being 100%.

Gabriel despite his fitness issues, bowls at 88-90mph consistently and has been picking up wickets not in this test but the first 2 he did well.

Amir on the other hand is not 28 as his real age is around 30 which is still 2 years younger than Gabriel.

Amir as he spoke to Mushy in the interview a couple of weeks ago mentioned clearly that he was not ready for international cricket as being out for 5 years is not easy and meanwhile I do think that he did not do himself any favours by not working out on his fitness as he could have worked out for while he was out for 5 years as people do go gyms not just athletes and maybe that could have helped him in some way when he made a comeback to cricket.

PCB struggled in the 5 years while he was out and desperately wanted him back as soon as he was eligible to play again and just simply rushed him in all formats and he did not have any say while he kept playing and that meant his bowling went down the drain with lack of pace and swing as he mentioned himself.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

I would play him (depending if he wants to) just to end the "euphoria" that somehow Amir will run through England side despite averaging 30.

Stats don't tell the whole story, agreed.

But stats do tell part of the story.

And part of the story is Amir is an inconsistent test bowler after his comeback.

Anyone who thinks otherwise, should play him and get ready for a teary-eyed farewell.

 

[Shaddy86]

Someone that plays every league under the sky cannot and should not complain about mismanaged. These cricketers choose to play all these leagues over test cricket for their country. They should not be getting any privilege of playing for Pakistan in any format let alone test cricket. Amir should be dropped, he's ungrateful and doesn't deserve to represent Pakistan in any format.

 

[hitthestump]

It wouldn't send a great message to the Rauf's, Akif's and Dilbar's if Amir keeps getting special treatment despite his total disrespect towards Pakistan cricket.

He has retired. Let him publicly un-retire AND play FC before considering him for selection. Same goes for Wahab.

Pakistan have an opportunity to draw a line in the sand here so i hope they don't crumble and pick Amir on a meritless basis.

 

[Junaids]

For those people saying that Amir would be a liability.

He was wasted in a 3 pacer attack and should only be part of a 4 pacer attack.

But then he would only have to bowl 12-15 overs per day!

 

[The Viper]

It is time to move on from Amir. He mentioned the struggles that he had with his body in his interview with Mushy, and there is no point of convincing somebody who does have the physical condition to play Test cricket. We have to persist with the current trio, Amir can be a limited overs specialist.

 

[Kingpin786]

For those people saying that Amir would be a liability.

He was wasted in a 3 pacer attack and should only be part of a 4 pacer attack.

But then he would only have to bowl 12-15 overs per day!

So Amir bowling 10 to 12 overs a day, do you want to put extra load on Naseem and Shaheen?

 

[coy0607]

It is time to move on from Amir. He mentioned the struggles that he had with his body in his interview with Mushy, and there is no point of convincing somebody who does have the physical condition to play Test cricket. We have to persist with the current trio, Amir can be a limited overs specialist.

Amir has literally come out and said that over and over again, even retired from Test cricket. But for some reason fans and management continue to want (and pressure) him in Test cricket.

He could be the best bowler in the history of Test cricket, but if his heart isn't in it, let him go.

 

[Junaids]

So Amir bowling 10 to 12 overs a day, do you want to put extra load on Naseem and Shaheen?

Absolutely NOT!

This is what I think we are going to see each day:

Mohammad Abbas 23-8-65-0 bowling 122K
Shaheen Shah Afridi 22-7-65-2 bowling 133K
Sohail Khan 23-5-70-2 bowling 130K
Yasir Shah 22-1-105-0


This is what I would be selecting:

Mohammad Amir 17-5-45-2 bowling 137K
Sohail Khan 23-5-70-2 bowling 130K
Naseem Shah 15-3-55-2 bowling 145K
Shaheen Shah Afridi 17-5-40-3 bowling 140K
Shadab Khan 15-2-70-0
Azhar Ali 3-0-10-0

The whole point of picking Mohammad Amir is:

1. He shortens the tail compared with Faheem or Yasir Shah at 8.
2. He is one of 4 pacers, so Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi bowl shorter, faster spells.
3. He is the best Dukes ball bowler that Pakistan has got.

 

[Hitman]

Amir has literally come out and said that over and over again, even retired from Test cricket. But for some reason fans and management continue to want (and pressure) him in Test cricket.

He could be the best bowler in the history of Test cricket, but if his heart isn't in it, let him go.

You're serious?

 

[kingusama92]

I think he would add a new dimension to the bowling attack and make it better.

But before anything else he has to be willing to do it rather than getting forced into it. Plus, he has do well in the nets before this is even a consideration.

For me, getting Amir to take the new ball with Shaheen will round out the bowling attack. You can then slot Naseem as a first-change bowler letting him go all-out in bursts.

 

[Kingpin786]

Absolutely NOT!

This is what I think we are going to see each day:

Mohammad Abbas 23-8-65-0 bowling 122K
Shaheen Shah Afridi 22-7-65-2 bowling 133K
Sohail Khan 23-5-70-2 bowling 130K
Yasir Shah 22-1-105-0


This is what I would be selecting:

Mohammad Amir 17-5-45-2 bowling 137K
Sohail Khan 23-5-70-2 bowling 130K
Naseem Shah 15-3-55-2 bowling 145K
Shaheen Shah Afridi 17-5-40-3 bowling 140K
Shadab Khan 15-2-70-0
Azhar Ali 3-0-10-0

The whole point of picking Mohammad Amir is:

1. He shortens the tail compared with Faheem or Yasir Shah at 8.
2. He is one of 4 pacers, so Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi bowl shorter, faster spells.
3. He is the best Dukes ball bowler that Pakistan has got.

Do you think Amir is better than Abbas with duke ball?

 

[El Generico]

Naseem, Shaheen and Abbas should be good enough. Amir has retired and we should respect that.

 

[El Generico]

You're serious?

I think what he means is that even if Amir was the best test bowler in history, it won't matter because his heart isn't into this format anymore. It's not about how good he is, the main thing is that he doesn't want to play.

 

[ahmadharis1]

Absolutely not. Overrated bowler, not to mention that he hasn't played long form cricket in months. I'd rather fly out Mir Hamza (actually that's not a bad idea....)

 

[Junaids]

Do you think Amir is better than Abbas with duke ball?

Very much so.

Abbas reminds me of Angus Fraser: he can be quite effective at around 130K but when he lost a couple of further K he became too easy to bat against.

Abbas has been a liability in SENA ever since the England/Ireland tour 2 years ago. He is not easy to score off, but he offers no wicket-taking threat at all.

If you go back to 2018, I would say that a 130K Abbas was at the same level as a 136K Amir.

The problem is that Amir is still bowling at the same pace, but Abbas' decline to bowling at 124K has made him ineffective.

 

[HappyWarsFan]

Very much so.

Abbas reminds me of Angus Fraser: he can be quite effective at around 130K but when he lost a couple of further K he became too easy to bat against.

Abbas has been a liability in SENA ever since the England/Ireland tour 2 years ago. He is not easy to score off, but he offers no wicket-taking threat at all.

If you go back to 2018, I would say that a 130K Abbas was at the same level as a 136K Amir.

The problem is that Amir is still bowling at the same pace, but Abbas' decline to bowling at 124K has made him ineffective.

Against BD and SL Abbas was bowling.quicker, around 130 and occasionally 135-138. I think he has got it back.

 

[shamaan]

Should definitely be asked, and Misbah should offer to manage his workload by rotating him with other quicks e.g. only ask Amir to play 2 tests out of 3 vs England, 1st and 3rd. Also offer to rotate him in a 5 bowler attack.

Begin negotiating from this point as an extended olive branch. Amir will no doubt offer to play one test at least.

Defo shouldn't be asked hes made his decision clearly dont beg players to come back if he wants to reserve his retirement then yes that's fair enough

 

[shamaan]

Amir’s pick and choose aside, Pak Cricket needs to begin rotating quicks. We’ve run too many into the ground.

So if Amir’s attitude (unappealing as it may be) teaches Misbah the value of rotation then Pak cricket will have learned one of the biggest, best possible things when it comes to managing Shaheen and Naseem.

(We can agree to disagree about whether Amir’s attitude is justified or not, and I completely understand your point of view)

What if he makes him self avaliable does well in first and second then he will be forced to play the third .

 

[Kingpin786]

Very much so.

Abbas reminds me of Angus Fraser: he can be quite effective at around 130K but when he lost a couple of further K he became too easy to bat against.

Abbas has been a liability in SENA ever since the England/Ireland tour 2 years ago. He is not easy to score off, but he offers no wicket-taking threat at all.

If you go back to 2018, I would say that a 130K Abbas was at the same level as a 136K Amir.

The problem is that Amir is still bowling at the same pace, but Abbas' decline to bowling at 124K has made him ineffective.

Are you talking about peak speed or average speed as latest average pace of amir is arround 130 to134 kph that too in LOIs

 

[Junaids]

Are you talking about peak speed or average speed as latest average pace of amir is arround 130 to134 kph that too in LOIs

Amir has another advantage over Abbas which is his angle across the right-handers.

Just look at Mohammad Abbas' Test record outside Asia since mid-2018, when let's face it he was probably around 33 or 34.
103 overs
5 wickets for 331 runs.
Average 66.20
Strike rate 123.6
Economy rate 3.21

In contrast, this is Mohammad Amir's Test record outside Asia during the same time:
105.4 overs
12 wickets for 283 runs
Average 23.58
Strike rate 52.8
Economy rate 2.67

 

[Kingpin786]

Amir has another advantage over Abbas which is his angle across the right-handers.

Just look at Mohammad Abbas' Test record outside Asia since mid-2018, when let's face it he was probably around 33 or 34.
103 overs
5 wickets for 331 runs.
Average 66.20
Strike rate 123.6
Economy rate 3.21

In contrast, this is Mohammad Amir's Test record outside Asia during the same time:
105.4 overs
12 wickets for 283 runs
Average 23.58
Strike rate 52.8
Economy rate 2.67

Currently we are playing about england so please compare their stats in england

 

[MMHS]

Amir has another advantage over Abbas which is his angle across the right-handers.

Just look at Mohammad Abbas' Test record outside Asia since mid-2018, when let's face it he was probably around 33 or 34.
103 overs
5 wickets for 331 runs.
Average 66.20
Strike rate 123.6
Economy rate 3.21

In contrast, this is Mohammad Amir's Test record outside Asia during the same time:
105.4 overs
12 wickets for 283 runs
Average 23.58
Strike rate 52.8
Economy rate 2.67

I think both are of similar age - officially & biologically, therefore not much in it and fitness wise as well. Amir's stats are indeed brilliant - one reason is that he is a very good bowler with small heart; but the main reason is that Abbas's stats includes couple of Tests in SAF where a desperate Micky Arthur played an unfit pacer, and Abbas had the misfortune of playing the Test where one David Warner almost beat PAK alone (it stayed at almost - thanks to timely rain & Yasir) and Aussies lost 3 wickets in total for 600 runs I believe ..... a series which Mo Amir conveniently skipped.

I do crunch lots of data, but I try to see facts behind stats .... something you must have noticed when I explained Shadab's bowling stats in UK - somehow turn the table: Mo Amir playing couple of Tests against those frightening Aussies at home & Mo Abbas resting at home .... do you realize that there won't be much difference in these stats - not to mention that we are talking about two pacers, one averaging 20 and another one 30, in overall career.

 

[Arsal_AK]

No. He shouldn't now. He has zero match practice going into the test series. The last thing Pakistan needs is Amir being all over the place due to him not playing tests/first class games for over a year now or him limping off with with 3 days to go in the test.

 

[The Viper]

He has not been included in the 20 man Test squad vs England. Things could still change, though.

 

[MenInG]

Has now joined the squad at Derby so options are open for Pakistan.

 

[Forum363]

He won't be playing the first test since the fast bowlers are set - Abbas, Shaheen, Naseem with a 1% chance than Sohail makes it in as the 4th pacer if they decide to go that route, but highly unlikely.

However - in the interest of rotation, or if there is an injury or if one of the bowlers seems off-colour, I believe there is a significant chance of seeing Amir in the second or third test. Mark my words.

Good news for Pakistan. Apart from Anderson or Broad, he is better than any bowler England has in their squad, particularly in these conditions.

 

[MenInG]

He won't be playing the first test since the fast bowlers are set - Abbas, Shaheen, Naseem with a 1% chance than Sohail makes it in as the 4th pacer if they decide to go that route, but highly unlikely.

However - in the interest of rotation, or if there is an injury or if one of the bowlers seems off-colour, I believe there is a significant chance of seeing Amir in the second or third test. Mark my words.

Good news for Pakistan. Apart from Anderson or Broad, he is better than any bowler England has in their squad, particularly in these conditions.

That being the case, is it not madness to NOT play him in one or 2 Tests in this series?

 

[Forum363]

That being the case, is it not madness to NOT play him in one or 2 Tests in this series?

There’s clearly an ego game going on here with Amir and Misbah in regards to his Test retirement. If they get past that, he will play.

Misbah punished him for retiring by dropping him from the team and taking away his central contract. Let’s see if he’s now ready to move past it for the betterment of Pakistan cricket.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

Amir had a decent outing in 2016 in England - 12 wickets at 42.41 and 107 runs at 21.42. This not taking into consideration dropped catches off his bowling which were many.

Still, he has retired, he has no motivation for tests, may not be fully fit and most important, it will demotivate others. Time to back your squad.

 

[TrentDevil]

He isn't even training with the Test squad, he is training with other T20I squad members separately. So him playing Tests should be out of question, he's done & dusted wrt Tests

 

[Kashur_Kalkharab]

He can be utilized to facilitate the rotation of bowlers,shaheen should be rested in second and amir should play (of course if he agrees).

I think the current trio are good enough to get the job done in English conditions though.

 

[MenInG]

He can be utilized to facilitate the rotation of bowlers,shaheen should be rested in second and amir should play (of course if he agrees).

I think the current trio are good enough to get the job done in English conditions though.

Think the choice to play should be taken away from Amir - if he is ready and Pakistan needs him, he should play.

 

[Forum363]

Think the choice to play should be taken away from Amir - if he is ready and Pakistan needs him, he should play.

There’s no reason he won’t be willing to play unless it comes with an insistence that he immediately takes back his retirement and plays every single test match for Pakistan.

If Misbah and the management use some sense and say to Amir - ‘Look, you’re one of our top bowlers and you’re fresh from a break and we need you in one or two of the test matches. Help us win. There’s no promise or commitment about the future and we can discuss things after the series’.

Then he will certainly jump at the opportunity based on the sentiment he displayed in his interview.

 

[Local.Dada]

Let’s see

Winning without Amir- You will create superstars out of your current bowlers who have great potential. Pakistan will have the impetus to only build on from here

Losing without Amir- If we had to pick a team everyone would say England on paper. I mean a drubbing to the Pakistan side is expected so while fans may be disappointed, it will be accepted as the norm.

Losing with Amir- See above + a golden chance to build a stable bowling combo for the future given Amir has no long term plans for test cricket.

Winning with Amir- winning is winning but is the outcome proportional to a long term vision?

I would say going without Amir would be the right move unless Amir commits a full return to test cricket at least till the conclusion of the test championship.

 

[SARJ_BD]

Only few players (maybe 4-5 maximum) should be playing all three formats. Work load is pretty bad nowadays and must not be compared with previous decades.

 

[King_Kohli]

Why not?
He is champion player

 

[Forum363]

Let’s see

Winning without Amir- You will create superstars out of your current bowlers who have great potential. Pakistan will have the impetus to only build on from here

Losing without Amir- If we had to pick a team everyone would say England on paper. I mean a drubbing to the Pakistan side is expected so while fans may be disappointed, it will be accepted as the norm.

Losing with Amir- See above + a golden chance to build a stable bowling combo for the future given Amir has no long term plans for test cricket.

Winning with Amir- winning is winning but is the outcome proportional to a long term vision?

I would say going without Amir would be the right move unless Amir commits a full return to test cricket at least till the conclusion of the test championship.

Nice formulas but it’s as simple as this - does Amir make it into the Test side and does he increase the chance of winning the game. Absolutely yes to both those questions so he plays.

You can think about the future later. This is not some dead rubber - it’s an important series part of the world test championship.

 

[Saj]

At the moment he has not been asked. It'll get interesting if there are injuries and he is needed to for a Test match or 2.

 

[coy0607]

Only few players (maybe 4-5 maximum) should be playing all three formats. Work load is pretty bad nowadays and must not be compared with previous decades.

For Pakistan, than 4-5 should really be 2 right now. Babar and Shaheen are the only two that merit a place in all three formats, and for whom it makes strategic sense to play all formats. Maybe Haris is a third, but I don't even think he's a starter in every format.

 

[shamaan]

For Pakistan, than 4-5 should really be 2 right now. Babar and Shaheen are the only two that merit a place in all three formats, and for whom it makes strategic sense to play all formats. Maybe Haris is a third, but I don't even think he's a starter in every format.

Harris is good only in odis not in tests and t20s

 

[The Viper]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Waqar Younis when asked if it's tempting to play Amir in the 3rd Test "I don't see that happening & we aren't even preparing him for this. He's done with the red ball format & is working hard with white ball cricket so we'll stick with him with the white ball for now" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1295417491636748289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>