5 years ago,they hated him like anything. Public enemy No 1 of 3. The Greenshirts had been stained and cricketing world had shame upon it. A year ago, he was still an outcast. He still is in many circles back home a ‘persona non grata ‘.The ICC eased on his punishment with a much quicker return than his other two compatriots. He was back on the domestic circuit earlier in the year in the lower tier circuit of the domestic league. Pretty soon, he struck form before an injury curtailed his further input.
The individual in question is none other than Mohammad Amir. Given the green signal by PCB to resume domestic cricket,he shed some light on his progress with some quick spells in the domestic T20 played just before Pakistan toured Zimbabwe in September. What wasn’t on the line was the fact there would be any sort of hastened return to the national squad .He continued his form securing a slot with Sui Southern Gas Company Limited , a departmental team in the Quaid e Azam league in the revamped domestic season. Whilst the national team was in Gulf , he managed 34 wkts in 6 games .Next came BPL. Chittagong Vikings wanted him.He was drafted in and on day one of the league took 4/30.The key wicket was of Misbah ul Haq’s off stump , that too when it looked like as if the Pakistani skipper would take Rangpur to a sensational chasing win from 23/4 .That of course did eventually happen but Amir ‘s wickets were televised and went viral on the web to be seen on a mass scale considering this was an international t20 league and not just cohort of domestic players playing.
So why is Amir back in the mix ? Do Pakistan need him ? In the five years he s been out, hasn’t Pakistan got an attack which boasts talent pooling out ? Folks used to say,he should be banished because by 2015, Pakistan’s ferocious attack will be such that Amir’s accolades will be memories as distant as Earth’s interval with Pluto. Umar Gul, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Talha, Mohammad Irfan, Sohail Khan, Rahat Ali all have had spells in the era when he’s not been present. Surely any one of the named or even others who have thrived on the domestic scene can displace Aamir and join Wahab as a potential strike bowler . Surely, injuries won’t be an issue considering how few and far between Pakistan cricketing schedules lie.
Pakistan’s problem with bowling doesn’t lie in the old ball. It comes with the new one.Playing on bone hard surfaces,the dry stadia of the Gulf where the ball does little conventionally , there is a thin window that is available for the quicks. Mohammad Hafeez in 2012 often used to take the new cherry and use it to put in dents in the England top order especially the lefties. That’s a place where Amir can really be effective. He’s always taken early breakthroughs which is a work in progress by the current bowling unit.
In the 2010 England series before the fixing story was let loose, Amir had already been a lock for man of the series with his 6/84 in Lords still standing as a standout performance. The honours board today still has his name on display despite the off field issues. He had developed a strike partnership with his “partner in crime”, Mohammad Asif. Both were successful as well with conditions suiting them. Pakistan ‘s batting which has always been a major contributor in the team’s downfall in overseas series particularly was a key factor again. Amir was applauded by all not the least by a teary Michael Holding at Lord’s. The series loss was not as depressing as the loss of a more important prospect for the future . A left armer Pakistan had waited for since a certain lanky bowler in 1984 by the name of Wasim Akram had disappeared to the Dark side.
Amir’s current so called PCB drafted rehabilitation has everyone talking about him. And not all of them for the right reasons . Is it too early ? Is he gonna play fairly ? Has he learned his lesson ? How will the team members react ? Already, the “Professor ” Mohammad Hafeez has issues playing in the same unit as he has. That tells volumes about the dressing room debate alone.The last thing that was was warranted was this kind of response although it again is unsurprising. However if that’s what it takes,then a few heads might have to roll. Another World Cup is looming and Pakistan can do well without off field gimmicks for a change.
A huge factor in Amir’s comeback will be determined by psychological resilience. It is a concept best explained by the grounded theory of Fletcher and Sarkar published in the journal, Psychology of Sport and Exercise (2012) which took into account experiences of 12 Olympic medallists. It accounts for important factors such as focus, motivation, positivity, self confidence and perceived social support. The perceived social support is in the form of friends,family and peers.This is an important factor as how Amir’s colleagues receive him will also determine at the senior level how much will he contribute further.
Judging from the recent Gulf series where the Greenshirts were heavily outplayed by England in the limited format leg of the tour, they would need a lot more for the World Cup and beyond than just getting back some of the missed talent and they definitely could do more than the way some of the batsmen threw their wickets away and ran between wickets. Amir ‘s comeback is a matter of time , it always has been even when the timeline of the ban began. Many had doubts,but in the land where age is now just a number, 23 might be just right for 2016. Enough of “Rehab”. Its time to play ball again .
Sportsfan Says 