"We want more from Mohammad Amir" : Azhar Mahmood

[hadi123]

Quotes from Azhar Mahmood after the end of the 4 Day match between Kent and Pakistan:

"It's always difficult [to adjust here] as grounds and pitches are soft"

"It's difficult for the boys coming from Pakistan to adjust to the weather here; it was 5C today, and I think it was 4C yesterday"

"I have been living and playing here [England] and I still feel cold"

"We've done the hard yards and hopefully we will come on top here [England]"

"Definitely, Mohammad Amir is one of the best bowlers we have"

"And we expect these things [Blake's wicket] from Amir"

"Shadab has the potential; we know him well from ODs and T20s and we are trying to get him to bowl more overs in 4-Day and Test match cricket"

"I am quiet happy with Shadab's performance today and he bowled a good spell for us today"

"It's great to be back at Canterbury - it's my third home; First is Pakistan, second is Surrey and third is here"

"It's our goal to win the Test series here in England"

"We have worked hard but we have a young side with some guys having their first time in England"

"It's a great opportunity to grab for these guys, after the departure of Misbah and Younis to play for Pakistan for the next 10-15 years"

"It's tough, as sometimes you want to go out there and play yourself"

"But, I have had my time and it's now the time for these young guys to be heroes for Pakistan"

"Sometimes you feel that maybe I should be bowling downhill or uphill; its always the case - I am still running in and bowling in the nets so it's a lot of fun"

"I think Imam-ul-Haq played very well and has worked very hard in the nets with Grant Flower"

"Imam wasn't selected for PSL but he worked very hard on his fitness and batting and you can see it's paid off well here"

"Imam is moving into good positions; he is playing well on the front and back foot"

"Due to the hard yards Imam put in before, when he batted here it looked like he has been in England for long time"

"The other guys have struggled a bit but Imam played well for us"

"We always come to England as underdogs"

"But we have young players who have a lot of potential and they performed really well during the Champions Trophy"

"So players like Amir, Shadab and Hasan did well as did Fakhar Zaman during the Champions Trophy"

"If we can get things right then we can give a tough time to England"

"To be honest, we want more from Mohammad Amir"

"As a bowling coach, I want more from Amir"

"If you see his record isn't that great after his comeback even though he has played almost every game since his return"

"He needs to take more responsibility, he needs to run in and get wickets for us which is what I want from him"

"If he is the leader of this attack, then he needs to show us more"

"He has the potential, and I am sure he will do well but that is what we want from him"

"Kent bowled really well; they bowled us out below 200 and they know and used the conditions really well"

"They bowled with consistent line and length"

"For our batsmen if was tough as the ball was moving around a bit and it was a slow pitch"

"Joe Denly played really well; I know what a good player he is as he was with us in Karachi Kings"

"The other day we [Allan Donald] were talking about the 97/98 tour [of South Africa] and he mentioned you got 3 hundreds against us which is very nice of him; he was a quality bowler and it was tough to face him as he was a tough competitor"

 

[aloo paratha]

Some dumb fans think he's doing fine as he is with once in a blue moon performances. To some he's the best in the world

 

[TeamPak95]

lol how long did it take him to realize this?

 

[pakistani pride]

Lets see if Amir can deliver. This is an open challenge ans message.

Lets go Amir shut up the haters!

 

[Lefthanded]

So, maybe this has been answered before, has someone done a video analysis that shows why Amir was successful when he was, and now when he isn't?

Something technical and a little more in-depth aside from 'he's not pitching it up' etc etc.

 

[giri26]

I guess Amir himself isn't that interested in Test cricket, so I am not seeing him putting too much effort to improve his bowling in this format. He is playing in England when the conditions are damp and is offering a lot to swing bowlers, if he does not perform this time, his place needs to be seriously looked at in tests.

 

[BaankeJi]

I guess Amir himself isn't that interested in Test cricket, so I am not seeing him putting too much effort to improve his bowling in this format. He is playing in England when the conditions are damp and is offering a lot to swing bowlers, if he does not perform this time, his place needs to be seriously looked at in tests.

I think he will perform. He is a very good bowler.

 

[Misia]

This series , especially the on off Ireland test. It's time for Amir to either step up and take control or step down and hit the nets with bowling coach for few months

 

[Shafi]

Since Amir is not good enough so as Rahat both should be replace by Hamza and Sadaf. We will not do any worse. Both Amir and Rahat are expensive and unable to take wickets.

 

[Eagle_Eye]

I guess Amir himself isn't that interested in Test cricket, so I am not seeing him putting too much effort to improve his bowling in this format. He is playing in England when the conditions are damp and is offering a lot to swing bowlers, if he does not perform this time, his place needs to be seriously looked at in tests.

He wants out from tests.... the effort levels are just pathetic.

Let him go and review and downgrade his contract immediately.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Bench him or kick him out if you want more from him.

 

[Hawkeye]

All we're focusing on is one single bowler.

What will Abbas, Rahat do?!?!

 

[Shafi]

Unfortunately Amir is finished!!! so far he only took 1 wickets in 2 innings against 2nd string club teams. Sadaf couldn't do any worse.

 

[Deewana Mastana]

Amir isn't what people are thinking he is.

He's not training enough and his physique is not built up for a fast bowler as he just doesn't seem to have the stamina since he's returned to cricket.

 

[carbon11]

Unfortunately Amir is finished!!! so far he only took 1 wickets in 2 innings against 2nd string club teams. Sadaf couldn't do any worse.

Apparently sadaf bowls under 80 mph

Around 70-75mph

His bowling is cannon fodder for intl level batsmen u can't have a frontline test bowler bowling dibbly dobbly pace

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I guess Amir himself isn't that interested in Test cricket, so I am not seeing him putting too much effort to improve his bowling in this format. He is playing in England when the conditions are damp and is offering a lot to swing bowlers, if he does not perform this time, his place needs to be seriously looked at in tests.

He's not doing much in ODI or T20 cricket either, pretty much performing like Rahat Ali these days, one or two great spells mixed in with a load of rubbish. He should be moved down the pecking order, I saw fast bowlers in the PSL who offered more consistent threat.

 

[Rahul1]

All we're focusing on is one single bowler.

What will Abbas, Rahat do?!?!

They are not the golden boy, are they.

 

[aloo paratha]

lol how long did it take him to realize this?

Some fans still haven't realized it.

 

[Hasan123]

We all want more from him. It's getting hard to defend him. Hopefully he's motivated for this series. It's a shame a player needs a big ocassion to be motivated and not representing your country isn't enough motivation.

 

[MenInG]

No wickets today - 13 overs, 40 runs - 0 wickets

Hope he is listening to Azhar.

 

[Plumb]

Still...I would give him the england series and check his future in tests after this tour.

 

[Saj]

Worrying figures today.

Not in the best of form it seems.

 

[AFM]

I am starting to lose patience with him. And if it is a motivation issue, then I would just drop him and move on. A guy who cheated his country and lost 5 years of his professional career should not be having motivational issues during his 2nd chance.

 

[AFM]

He seemed to have a lot more bowling intelligence back in 2010. I assumed it was just part of his natural talent, but now that I think about it, it could be more due to have been bowling under the guidance of Asif.

 

[Markhor]

Really disappointed with Amir and the other pacers.

How can you look so toothless against two Division 2 county teams ? Maybe the recent deluge of T20 we've been playing has meant the bowlers have forgotten how to bowl in Test conditions.

There can't be any excuses - early May in England with the Dukes present ideal seam bowling conditions.

 

[AFM]

I bet Yasir's back just begins to ache when he sees the scorecards and thinks how many overs he's going to need to bowl in the future.

 

[MenInG]

Worrying figures today.

Not in the best of form it seems.

Seems to be the case more often than not.

 

[Abdullah719]

Another wicket-less new-ball spell

 

[AFM]

Don't worry Azhar, I will take on the mantle

 

[aloo paratha]

1 wicket for Amir so far in 3 innings against county teams, but some fans will have you believe he's better than Boult or Rabada.

 

[moghul]

Amir is not on trials in this match, he is just warming up and keeping home self from getting injured . Rahat and others have to perform to impress the selectors.

 

[MenInG]

Still no joy for Pakistan's spearhead.

 

[aloo paratha]

Amir is not on trials in this match, he is just warming up and keeping home self from getting injured . Rahat and others have to perform to impress the selectors.

Why does Amir get a free ride? What has he done in the last year?

 

[Mamoon]

Abbas, Rahat and Shadab took wickets because of the pressure that Amir created.

 

[Amoeba]

I remember all those fools who kept telling me he was the next Wasim Akram over the past 8 years. Not even the next Saleem Jaffar.

 

[Kroll]

Sadly, this sort of performance is the norm now, good economy rates but no wickets.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

The Chosen One will up his performances when the stakes are high.

Cant be bothered with County games, JamODIS and Tests.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

It is a fact. Amir is struggling.

With the red ball, his economy and occasional jaffas are a reminder of what he can do.

However, team needs wickets. He is not producing them.

If he doesn't product in Ireland test, needs to be dropped for England matches.

Performance over reputation.

 

[Shafi]

Unfortunately Amir has been found out badly.All our other fast bowlers are ahead of him. His bowling looks nothing special. Drop him from test. He does not have the ability. Sadaf should be given some chances. Keep him only for ODI if he performs. Otherwise drop him completely and give him NOC to play other franchise leagues.

 

[Shafi]

Abbas, Rahat and Shadab took wickets because of the pressure that Amir created.

Nice sarcasm!!!!

 

[Saj]

Another wicketless match.

Terrible form at the moment, but I can't see him being dropped for the Ireland Test match.

 

[Abid Z]

It was obvious from the last few tests that aamir has become a one trick pony and simply bowling well wide of off stump to make batsmen chase the ball. Most likely in tests they will ignore the ball and let it go to keeper which will flatter his figures but in actual fact he has lost his swing, speed, seam and any threat he poses.

 

[Kroll]

Doesn't look like we are going to get more.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

What was his average bowling speed like in this tour match? Perhaps I’ve just been watching at the wrong times however whenever I’ve seen Amir bowl in test matches post comeback I get the feeling he doesn’t give it his all - it’s like he’s holding something back. In LOIs he’s a different beast.

 

[IAJ]

Hopefully he will deliver when it matters most; v England. Big match player.

 

[Xoib]

Amir test career is done stick a fork in him.

 

[Amoeba]

Not sure about that Gabbar Singh. It is more to do with a lack of stamina / fitness after such a long break. Easy to bowl 4 or 10 overs in a jamodi but the real quality is determined in tests. He lacks it.

 

[punter17]

Amir knows how to swing. He has just got his basics wrong. And i feel people around him are jealous as they never will be achievers like him, so no guidance at all.

You get wickets with the swing. And Amir hasn't been able to get lethal swing so far apart from may be a few times after come back.

Conditions must for maximum swing:
1- Pitch the ball up.
2- Deliver close to the stumps like Wasim and Chaminda Vaas.
3- New Ball / Shiny side
4- Bowl Straight as swing doesnt have to cover the angle of delivered ball at all, to appear out of the way to batsamn facing.

What Amir has done:
1- Bowl short of good length or good length to save boundaries & have good economy rate.
2- Delivered ball away from stumps, unlike Chaminda Vaas or Wasim Akram.
3- Due to above, the ball always comes at an angle, and even if the conditions support swing, the large angle gets the better of swing, and ball appears to take it's line, and then he feels there is no swing, so he pitches the ball short.

Due to 2nd point, he wont be much successful against right handers. He slants across few deliveries to set up for in-dipper, but that ends up getting too leg sidish. Naturally, he knows that slanting would result in no swing, so he bowl straight but because he is already bowling wide of the crease, and delivering bowl away from stumps, bowling straight to right handers results in wide or leg bye.

While against left handers, he is more lethal, as lbw is in play, as he bowls wide of the crease. Also, since his release point is not close to stumps, bowling straight means giving width technically, which minimizes the chance of wickets.

Apparently he does that to avoid getting warned. But he needs to find a run up with which this can be achieved. See below for science:


If he continues to bowl the way he is bowling now, he will soon be replaced by somebody with the likes of Wahab or some random dude who doesn't know the art of swing but can bowl fast.

 

[Saj]

If ever a cricketer needed a good Test performance it's Amir.

Conditions are going to be good for seam bowlers, should be a seamer-friendly pitch and against a team playing their first ever Test match - really no excuses for Amir not to deliver in this Test.

 

[Rinnegan Sasuke]

If ever a cricketer needed a good Test performance it's Amir.

Conditions are going to be good for seam bowlers, should be a seamer-friendly pitch and against a team playing their first ever Test match - really no excuses for Amir not to deliver in this Test.

Should he even be played for the first test? It's a two match series, and if he continues like he has, we can kiss the series goodbye.

 

[Saj]

Should he even be played for the first test? It's a two match series, and if he continues like he has, we can kiss the series goodbye.

I think his potential and that he may turn in a big performance keeps getting him picked but sooner or later that patience will run out of he's not taking wickets.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Amir knows how to swing. He has just got his basics wrong. And i feel people around him are jealous as they never will be achievers like him, so no guidance at all.

You get wickets with the swing. And Amir hasn't been able to get lethal swing so far apart from may be a few times after come back.

Conditions must for maximum swing:
1- Pitch the ball up.
2- Deliver close to the stumps like Wasim and Chaminda Vaas.
3- New Ball / Shiny side
4- Bowl Straight as swing doesnt have to cover the angle of delivered ball at all, to appear out of the way to batsamn facing.

What Amir has done:
1- Bowl short of good length or good length to save boundaries & have good economy rate.
2- Delivered ball away from stumps, unlike Chaminda Vaas or Wasim Akram.
3- Due to above, the ball always comes at an angle, and even if the conditions support swing, the large angle gets the better of swing, and ball appears to take it's line, and then he feels there is no swing, so he pitches the ball short.

Due to 2nd point, he wont be much successful against right handers. He slants across few deliveries to set up for in-dipper, but that ends up getting too leg sidish. Naturally, he knows that slanting would result in no swing, so he bowl straight but because he is already bowling wide of the crease, and delivering bowl away from stumps, bowling straight to right handers results in wide or leg bye.

While against left handers, he is more lethal, as lbw is in play, as he bowls wide of the crease. Also, since his release point is not close to stumps, bowling straight means giving width technically, which minimizes the chance of wickets.

Apparently he does that to avoid getting warned. But he needs to find a run up with which this can be achieved. See below for science:
View attachment 81370

If he continues to bowl the way he is bowling now, he will soon be replaced by somebody with the likes of Wahab or some random dude who doesn't know the art of swing but can bowl fast.

That's an interesting analyses. Can someone like Azhar Mahmood not help him with this? I feel someone like Waqar who is very passionate about pace bowling could guide him better. He was also his mentor when he did well last time pre-ban.

I am not saying that Azhar is not doing a good job, but he seems to be specialized in limited overs bowling and he is good at that.

In the end it's mind boggling why Amir would not follow these things. I mean people have said it so many times and it's not as if he can not swing the ball. What's the reason he wouldn't follow these things?

 

[pakistani pride]

That's an interesting analyses. Can someone like Azhar Mahmood not help him with this? I feel someone like Waqar who is very passionate about pace bowling could guide him better. He was also his mentor when he did well last time pre-ban.

I am not saying that Azhar is not doing a good job, but he seems to be specialized in limited overs bowling and he is good at that.

In the end it's mind boggling why Amir would not follow these things. I mean people have said it so many times and it's not as if he can not swing the ball. What's the reason he wouldn't follow these things?

Perhaps Saj or Miggy bhai can forward this to Azhar. Would love to hear his reaction.