Can Amir regain his golden form?

The last One-day International between Pakistan and Australia is being played in Dubai today. Pakistan’s batting has always remained a concern for the management, but surprisingly bowlers miserably failed this time. They looked clueless while bowling to the Aussie batsmen, especially openers Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja. It was Pakistan’s one of the most inexperienced bowling attack. Junaid Khan was the most successful bowler with 105 wickets in 72 matches. Mohammad Amir, Yasir Shah and Imad Wasim don’t even have 200 ODI wickets collectively. Amir was dropped after the first ODI against Australia as he failed to take any wicket, conceding 59 runs in nine overs.

It was his seventh ODI in last 10 in which he went wicket-less. In around two years since the Champions Trophy final against India in June 2017, Amir’s average has been over 92. In most matches he has not bowled his full quota of 10 overs. Before the ban, Amir averaged 24.00 in ODIs. Since his comeback in 2016, he has averaged 39.17. In 36 ODIs since his return, he has conceded 1371 runs and taken just 35 wickets without any four-wicket haul. It has been more than three years since Amir returned to international cricket. He went wicket-less during the Asia Cup last September.

He took 12 wickets in nine ODIs in 2016. Next year he played 12 matches and took 18 wickets, but in 2018 he took only three wickets in 10 appearances, averaging over 100. This year, he has taken only two wickets in four ODIs, averaging 80.50. Amir is bowling at a high pace in all three formats, but his ability to swing the ball in the air and off the pitch has been affected. The reduction in the number of balls that Amir swings into the right hander and away from the left hander is a cause for concern. It shows he has lost some of the bite which made him so successful before the ban. Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur has admitted that Amir’s lack of wickets in ODI cricket is a growing concern. Amir has played a lot of T20s in the past two years which has considerably increased his workload. Despite his concerns about left-armseamer’s form in ODIs, Arthur has said he was impressed with the performance in the Twenty20 series against South Africa. “I was happy to see his performance in the last T20I, his skill level came to the fore, he executed yorkers beautifully and he gets a bit of reverse as well,” Arthur said. “Stats, not great and we know that. But sometimes you have a gut feel about the player. When the big moment presents itself, I’m comfortable that he will deliver. “He will be the first one to tell you his stats haven’t been good in ODI cricket, he’s aware of it, as are we. I think he’s an incredibly skilled bowler and can win games for Pakistan.When the ball swings, there’s no better bowler.

Yes, it hasn’t swung for a bit and we’re working on that. We identified he was decelerating into the crease.” Chief selector Inzamam ul Haq is also optimistic that the speedster will regain his rhythm before the World Cup. “Amir might not be an automatic selection at this stage but he is a very good bowler. Unfortunately, he is not looking in his best form. He has enough time for theWorld Cup. He will be back in rhythm,” Inzamam said in an interview. “If a senior bowler like him looks out of form, off-colour, it’s a worry for us, but we still have time for Amir. We still have ten one-dayers and two-three months. Amir can make a comeback. We will give him full chance to make a comeback. He is a big-occasion bowler and we need to have a bowler like him in our armoury,” added the chief selector.

In early days of his career, Amir was compared with legend Wasim Akram for his exceptional ability to swing the ball on both sides. But the ban for five years for spot-fixing in 2010 badly damaged the career of one of the most promising cricketers. In September 2015, Amir re-appeared on cricket scene. It had to be difficult for the fast bowler to resume his career after five years. Dropped catches on his bowling is one of the main reasons for his low wicket tally. Wasim Akram says that Amir’s under-performance is due to his wrist position. The continued selection of Amir in all formats has been much criticised. The Champions Trophy final performance has been used as a prime example of how his extraordinary skills have given Pakistan the advantage in times of need. But a quick look at his overall performances in ODIs paints a worrying picture. khurrams87@yahoo.com NOTE: Statistics are updated till the 3rd ODI between Pakistan and Australia.