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‘The game is tougher for bowlers’
Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir’s career can be clearly divided into two parts -- his rise in the international circuit as a teenage sensation and then his comeback from a five-year ban for the 2010 spot-fixing scandal. Since making a comeback to the Pakistan team in 2016, the left-arm fast bowler has matured both on and off the field. Amir has been a regular feature in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and is playing for Khulna Tigers in the special edition of the T20 tournament. In an exclusive interview with The Daily Star’s Mazhar Uddin , the fast bowler spoke about his bowling and shared the experiences that can help the fast bowlers of Bangladesh.
The following are the excerpts of the interview:
The Daily Star (TDS): You started as a young express bowler and are now vastly experienced. What is the difference in mindset between now and then?
Mohammad Amir (MA): When I started in 2009, cricket was different. The game was slow compared to now and the conditions used to suit the bowlers. But now it is mostly batting friendly. Cricket is tough for a bowler now. I think a bowler has to learn new things to survive. Variations with the white ball are important. You cannot depend just depend on your stock delivery. In one-day cricket you have two balls being used in a game and the balls do not get old, which makes things easy for the batsman. The ball doesn’t reverse, the slower ball doesn’t grip. So, you need to have variations… cricket is tough with the white ball now.
TDS: How do you tackle such batting-friendly pitches?
MA: I simplify my plans in such situations. You have to know your strengths in tense situations. For example, if I am bowling in the death overs I need to know the condition and demands of the wicket. If I think I will bowl two or three yorkers then I have to stick to that plan. When you stick to your strengths, it releases a lot of pressure.
TDS: Have you ever felt helpless, not knowing what to do after being heavily punished in a game?
MA: Sometimes that happens under pressure. Mostly, 99 per cent of the time, I do my planning about what to do in the next over when the other bowler is bowling at the opposite end. But if you start thinking about what to do in the middle of an over, it will put you under tremendous pressure. When I am not bowling, I try to think about what can I do. Ultimately, I know what I am going to do when I will have the ball in my hand in the next over.
TDS: When did you realise that variation is important?
MA: It was when I made my comeback in 2016, because by that time franchise T20 leagues had become popular. The games are high-scoring now. So, I had thought on my return that I have to learn new things. It can be a slower, a wide yorker or a slower bouncer. If you are predictable as a bowler in current cricket, then you are giving away 10 to 12 runs in an over. You will only be safe if you have variation. Like Wasim [Akram] bhai says, he is still learning cricket. You need to learn new skills regularly if you want to sustain for long in cricket.
TDS: Have any young local pacers in the BPL caught your eye?
MA: Yes. There is one bowler, Ebadot [Hossain] playing for Sylhet. Then we have Shahidul playing for our team, he is a very skillful bowler. He bowls at a hard length and then bowls the slower. Then there is Mehedi [Hasan] Rana, he looked very good last night [Wednesday].
TDS: It is often said that the culture of producing fast bowlers for longer-version has not developed in Bangladesh. Why do you think that is?
MA: I was discussing this with someone a while ago and I was told that the ball doesn’t go above your knee from the first day of a four-day match in Bangladesh. That means the fast bowler is not bowling that much. Unless the bowlers are bowling long spells, he will not develop. The wickets should be such that a pacer can bowl 12 to 14 overs a day. Here, I am told spinners come into the attack form the fifth over. Now if you are not making your pacers bowl, then how are you going to develop them?