Mohammad Amir recall: Pakistan must not rush seamer back
Monday 19 October 2015 09:29, UK
Guest writer Sajid Sadiq, of www.pakpassion.net, says Pakistan's selectors must resist the temptation to rush Mohammad Amir back into international cricket despite his impressive pre-domestic season form...
One of the expected exclusions from the Pakistan Test squad announced to face England in the on-going series in the UAE was that of 23-year-old Mohammad Amir.
Returning to play competitive cricket after serving a five-year ban for his involvement in the spot-fixing scandal of 2010, the hugely-talented Amir has been told by the Pakistan Cricket Board to go through a thorough rehabilitation process before he can be considered for a place in the national team.
This stage of Amir's return to the game he purportedly loves is to include trips to various charities but more importantly, and not officially stated, is his participation in one full season of First-Class cricket.
The idea is that Amir will need to prove his match readiness in terms of fitness and skills by playing in Pakistan's premier domestic tournament, the Quaid-a-Azam trophy, before the selectors will consider him for any international assignment.
Talent
To this end, it would appear that as of now, the selectors will have no reasons for concern.
The precocious talent which made Amir the 'talk of the town' - helping him to pick up 51 Test, 25 ODI and 23 T20I wickets in a short period of time - seems to be very much in play as far as the results so far of his involvement in the pre-domestic season activities are concerned.
His current wickets tally in the qualifying round of the Quaid-e-Azam trophy reads an impressive 34 wickets in just four games, at less than 10 runs per wicket, with a best performance of 7-61. The manner of his re-entry into domestic four-day action has created intense debate among cricket fans and there is a noticeable clamor for 'fast tracking' Amir back into international cricket.
Even former England captain Alec Stewart has thrown his weight behind Amir where in a recent interview he expressed his surprise at Amir's exclusion for the series against England stating that: "If Mohammad Amir had been selected and started to bowl anything like how he had bowled when he emerged onto the international scene then he could have surely enhanced the quality of the Pakistan 11".
So given the results so far and the strength of feeling for Amir's return, it seems that Amir's return to international cricket is more a case of when and not if. The left-arm fast bowler who was once regarded as heir to the throne held by the great Wasim Akram is on course to re-establish himself in the Pakistan team. But is the road ahead that easy?
Contriteness
On the face of it, Amir is doing all the right things and pushing all the right buttons. In all his public dealings so far, he has demonstrated the requisite amount of contriteness and has made sure that he has not claimed to be ready for international cricket just yet by expressing his desire to concentrate on domestic cricket at the moment.
Live Test Cricket
Whilst his current bowling form may have left many in no doubt that he is close to being back to his best, Amir will know that his return to the national team will depend on a few intangibles which could play an important role in his resurrection as a national hero.
First and foremost will be the attitude of the players in the current national setup.
"Four or five Pakistan players don't want to play alongside [Mohammad] Asif, Amir and [Salman] Butt," stated fast-bowler Tanvir Ahmed, who was a member of the Pakistan squad that toured England in 2010.
What is without doubt an area of concern will be the future of many fast-bowlers who are seen to be keeping the "seat warm" for the time when Amir is ready to make a return to the international arena. Thus, players who have worked hard in the ensuing years after the spot-fixing scandal, such as Rahat Ali, Imran Khan or Sohail Khan, may well feel that their places are under threat by Amir.
Then there is also the issue of how Amir will handle the inevitable jeering or taunting that he will receive in reference to his misdemeanours. In a recent domestic game, the fast-bowler got embroiled in a verbal duel with Pakistan batsman Faisal Iqbal in which he was referred to as a "thief". The result of the fracas was a fine for Amir, but more importantly was a demonstration of one problem that Amir will need to face and also to know how to handle as he makes his way back.
Ready
From the PCB's point of view, the possibility of Mohammad Amir's return to the national team is a win-win situation.
If he is able to go through his first domestic season without any mishaps, Pakistan will undoubtedly once again be presented with an excellent fast-bowler within their ranks. His mere presence is also resulting in the current crop of bowlers to look over their shoulders and this type of healthy competition cannot be a bad thing.
During Amir's ban, many questioned whether he would return to international cricket. That now seems to be a foregone conclusion.
Whilst the temptation for the Pakistan selectors must be to bring Amir back to international cricket soon, they would be better served to wait, be patient and ensure that he is ready physically and more importantly mentally for the challenges of international cricket.
England's tour of the UAE continues on Sky Sports. Watch the second Test from 6.30am on Thursday on Sky Sports 2. You can also watch without a contract on NOW TV.
