Mohammad Amir will come back as a better bowler: Azhar Mahmood

He has been Pakistan’s bowling spearhead for some time but Mohammad Amir has been struggling since he made a comeback to international cricket. The left-arm fast bowler has failed to take an international wicket since July 13 and has gone rewardless for five ODI matches on the trot. In the recent Asia Cup, the 26-year-old failed to pick a wicket even against low-ranked Hong Kong.

Former Pakistan all-rounder and currently the side’s coach Azhar Mahmood, however, isn’t taking Amir’s case as a pessimist. The 43-year-old spoke on a plethora of issues related to Pakistan cricket including the one of Amir. The bowler was banned for five years for allegedly bowling two no balls in a series against England in 2010 and he returned to international cricket in a series in England in 2016.

Amir has come under immense pressure

According to Azhar Mahmood, Amir’s break from international cricket will make him a better bowler. He pointed out that the cricketer is under a lot of pressure in the recent past. “Mohammad Amir has been struggling a bit since his return and fatigue could be a reason for that. Regardless of other factors, the fact is that there has been a lot of pressure on Amir in recent times. Because he has that wicket-taking ability, almost everyone seems to think that Amir is the key bowler in our team.

“But, he is not taking wickets and that pressure to perform is creating issues for him. This is then causing some self-doubts on his own ability which is why him not playing in the next series against Australia will give him that much-needed break,” he said.

Amir was overlooked for the two-Test series against Australia in the United Arab Emirates starting October 7 owing to his poor form. For Mahmood, this could be a blessing in disguise. He said the bowler can now go back to domestic cricket with a relaxed mind and work on technical issues, for example, his wrist position.

“As you may have seen, he has started to stop before he delivers the ball which is a problem. But, now he has a good opportunity to fix the issues we have highlighted when he goes back to domestic cricket. We have told him exactly what he needs to do to remedy his problems and he will work on fixing the issues,” Mahmood added.

Amir, who has played 33 Tests, 46 ODIs and 41 T20Is, has 217 international scalps and has taken just three wickets in the 50-over format since the Champions Trophy final in 2017 at an average of over 100. Though his figures in Tests have been good (12 wickets in three games against England and Ireland at an average of 18.40), he has done much worse in the UAE, taking seven wickets at an average of 56.42.

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