KARACHI: There is a growing debate on whether Mohammad Amir will be able to cope with the pressure when he returns to national duty for the first time in five years by featuring in the series-opening Twenty20 International against New Zealand in Auckland on Friday.
The left-arm pacer, who has served a five-year ban for spot-fixing, has done well in domestic games and the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) but it remains to be seen whether the 23-year-old will be able to repeat the sort of performance which once made him the most exciting fast bowler in world cricket.
Ask Waqar Younis and he will tell you that he expects Amir to deliver the goods.
“Amir is coping well. I’m sure he will deliver the goods,” Pakistan’s coach told reporters in Auckland ahead of Friday’s game against the Black Caps.
Shahid Afridi, Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain, agreed with his coach.
“Amir is still the same,” he said. “He is in a very good touch. He is performing well and behaving well. He is still capable of becoming one of the greatest fast bowlers,” the seasoned all-rounder said.
Pakistan arrived at Eden Park on Tuesday for their first training of the tour and were forced indoors because of the constant rain in Auckland.
Ahead of training, Younis and experienced Afridi faced the media and unsurprisingly the majority of the question centred around Amir.
Younis said we are about to find out how Amir will cope with bowling under intense scrutiny.
“It is hard to exactly tell how the whole thing is going to come up but my experience says that he is a smart kids even at the age of 18 he was smart then,” he said.
“He knows what he is doing and he is ready for that challenge. From what I have seen, he looks like the one but of course once he gets into the international level we will find out more.”
When asked if Amir had altered his run up to avoid any further controversy, Younis, a brilliant pace bowler in his time, said “I hope so”.
“We have got to allow him to come back. We have got to think positively about him and I think the media have to be positive about him as well. He has paid his price and we are ready to take him.”
Reports from Pakistan said the left-armer was bowling as well as ever on return to first-class cricket last year, and Amir impressed in the recent Bangladesh Premier League T20 with hauls of 4-30 and 3-18.
Most notably, the BPL footage showed Amir was well short of the popping crease with his right foot to avoid courting any further controversy.
Afridi said that Amir’s return to international cricket is good news because it is one of the world’s best bowlers coming back into the game.
Pakistan had a two week training camp in Lahore before coming to New Zealand as they tried to modify their game to meet the rest of the world.
Younis believed that Amir is not the lightning quick he was when he burst onto the scene as an 18-year-old but he feels that there is more to come.
“He is not what you will have seen five years ago, but he is definitely there or thereabouts,” he said.
“Maybe he is not exactly there, but once he starts playing at the international level you will see the best of him.”
Younis described Amir as a mentally strong cricketer who had the ability to focus on his role and block out the distractions.
“The boys are supporting him to be part of the team and I am sure that he is going to deliver the goods.”
Younis said that they have watched the Black Caps demolish Sri Lanka in the recent limited-over series. They are not focusing too much on the home side but more their own performance and look to draw on the success of the tour here two years ago.
They have plans to keep Martin Guptill and Colin Munro quiet at the top of the Black Caps batting order. Younis feels his pace attack will test them more.
“We have plans for them, but I am not going to share them here. We have a decent bowling attack and we will try to put them under some pressure.”
Afridi, who will retire at the end of the World T20 in March, said this Pakistan side was confident of upsetting the red-hot Black Caps in the upcoming three match T20 and three match One-day International series.
“We have a group of very energetic guys,” said the skipper. “I am very confident in my boys that we are very much capable of beating any team in the world.”