Rashid Latif advices out-of-form Mohammad Amir to 'bowl a bit fuller'

Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir’s constant struggles with the ball has been a major concern for the team. Two summers ago, Amir was the toast of the nation after his heroics in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy. The left-arm pacer had destroyed India’s top-order, dismissing Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli in quick time to lay the foundation for a historic win. Amir had gone on to win the Man of the Match award as Pakistan beat India to win the Champions Trophy for the first time.

However, the left-arm pacer’s form since that tournament is shockingly abysmal. Since then, Amir has picked up just five One-Day International wickets at an average of 92.60. In fact,  that prolonged run of poor form cost the left-arm pacer his spot in Pakistan’s 15-man squad for the World Cup. They ignored the experienced but out-of-form pacer for the mega-event which gets underway in England on May 30.

Amir, however, still has a chance to make it to the World Cup. All the teams can alter their squads till May 23 without seeking permission from ICC’s technical committee. And Pakistan have given the pacer a chance to prove his worth by naming him in the squad for the upcoming T20I and five ODIs against England later this month. A good show in the series can very much make the selectors include him in the World Cup squad.

Words of wisdom for Mohammad Amir

As Amir gears up for one of the toughest challenges of his career, former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has given him a piece of precious advice. He said that Amir needs to bowl at fuller lengths in order to take wickets. Latif said that he needs to give up on his ploy of playing for economy-rate and should go for the wicket.

“Amir’s economy rate is better than others because he is not taking the chance himself. He bowls at a similar place [line and length] in all formats of the game, and that is why the batsmen don’t take chance against him as it is a good place to bowl at but it is not a wicket taking one,” Latif was quoted as saying by Business Recorder.

Also read- ICC World Cup 2019: 3 reasons why Mohammad Amir couldn’t fit in the Pakistan squad

“Amir is playing for the economy rate, if he wants to take wickets he needs to bowl fuller. Someone should tell him [Amir] that he needs to bowl fuller in the first three overs of the game to get wickets. My advice to Amir would be to release the bowl a bit fuller, the more he bowls fuller the greater he has the chance to swing it,” he added.

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