ISLAMABAD, Nov 25 (APP): Pakistani pacer Mohammad Amir believes it was more difficult to bowl to prolific batsman Babar Azam as compared to the Indian Skipper Virat Kohli.
“If you compare Babar with Kohli, I find it difficult bowling to Babar because of his stance because if I take the ball away from him he plays the drive through off-side and if I bring the ball back in, he flicks it through on-side,” cricketpakistan.com.pk quoted him as saying.
He also opened up about his retirement from Test cricket the criticism he has faced over this decision.
“People talk about my age and retirement but what they don’t realise that I did not play cricket for five years. Even if you don’t start your car for a week, even that needs oil change to get it running properly once again.
My workload management was becoming a major issue which forced me to take that decision. I was continuously facing fitness issues and our physiotherapist Cliffe Deacon can confirm that I was number one in the treatment list, during England tour in 2018.
If I had played all formats, I would have retired from international cricket by now.”
Amir was also concerned about fellow left-arm quick Shaheen Afridi’s workload management. “Shaheen is a blessing for Pakistan and he is leading the bowling attack but everyone knows that he is playing too much.
I know that he wants to continue playing and does not like resting but his workload needs to be managed. He can carry on like this at the moment, due of his young age, but later on in his career this will cause problems for him,” said Amir.
The left-arm fast-bowler also expressed his disappointment over not being picked for Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand.
“It was disappointing as I was expecting to be part of the squad for New Zealand tour. It was the selector’s decision but this motivates me to perform in a better manner, improve my fitness and regain my place in the side,” he said.
“The New Zealand tour could be make or break for many cricketers, which has also been the case in the past as well. The conditions are difficult for batting while the bowlers also have small margin of error due to small boundaries. So the players, especially the youngsters, who perform well can improve their career trajectory,” he added.
Amir also paid tribute to Karachi Kings’ head coach Dean Jones, who passed away before the playoffs. “When Dean Jones was announced as our coach we did not know how he would deal with the players but everything changed after our first meeting.
The technical things he told us about the game was something I had not heard before which was an amazing experience.
He worked really hard with Wasim Akram to form a winning team combination.”
Amir also welcomed the idea of Indian cricketers, like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, playing in the PSL.
“We have always said, as players, that cricket, or any other sport, and politics should be kept separate. I love challenges like bowling to top-notch batsmen and it would have been great to bowl to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Be it the IPL or PSL, it would be beneficial for players, from Pakistan and India, playing in these competitions in terms of exposure and quality of cricket.”
