KARACHI - Fast bowler Muhammad Aamir said that he always wants to perform his best against India and Australia.
In an interview with ESPN Cricinfo, the left-arm fast bowler said: “I think I get extra energy when I play against Australia and India. Whether or not I perform against the other teams but I always want to perform against these two teams.”
The speedstar added that while playing with India, the body language is different for the players because performance against each other makes a mark in the world. “The stardom increases, your value as a player increase, performing against India is a dream come true” he said.
Aamir believes that the back-to-back deliveries against Kohli changed his image in the United Kingdom. “The catch being dropped first and Kohli getting out on the second was a big achievement. And because of that we had won 60 to 70 percent of the match because India relies a lot on Kohli,” he said.
The fast bowler said that when Azhar Ali dropped Kohli’s catch, he thought that the team Pakistan has dropped half of the match.
"Everybody knows if you get Kohli, India is 50% out of the game. Till he is at the crease, India’s chances of winning are 70-80%. If you look at his chasing ratio, he is at the top of the world. He chases well, he performs well under pressure. So our plan was to get their top order –Dhawan, Sharma, Kohli, the guys who were scoring the runs in the tournament. My plan was that I didn’t want to save runs, I wanted to take wickets. If we could get one or two from the top, we could win the match,” he further explained.
He further went on to speak about dismissing the 29-year-old Kohli.
“In my mind, I thought he’ll be ready for my inswinger, because the previous ball had been an outswinger. So I thought, 80-90% he would be ready for an inswinger. But I wanted to bowl at him in the same area, and move it away again. If you look at the clips of it, you can see he shaped to play it to leg, he moved to play it to on [side], thinking I was going to bring it in. My thinking was that if I bowl again in the same area, the same ball going away, he might go to play it thinking it is coming in, and edge it to slip again, but it went with the angle to point,” he explained.
“I remembered Fakhar Zaman’s moment when he scored a hundred after been given another second chance. When I was going back to my bowling mark. I was praying to God that something similar doesn’t happen but he got out next ball,” he said. Aamir said that as a bowler he is satisfied with his performance after his comeback.
“I am satisfied with my performance. If after five years a bowler comes and plays all three formats, plays the leagues, I think it’s a big achievement. If you see in 2016, I had bowled second most overs for Pakistan. I can’t say I have done very well but feelings are mixed.”
The 25-year-old Amir also admitted that it was a pitch where runs were difficult to defend. “The pitch was the kind where you couldn’t stop the runs. Even after they were six down, [Hardik] Pandya was hitting so big – the wicket was that flat. You couldn’t stop the runs flowing, you could only take wickets to win the game. My plan in the first spell was that even if I gave away 35-40 runs in the first five but took two wickets, then we were in the game. So the target was to get these two or three guys out,” he further elaborated.
Amir also likened newbie M Abbas to fellow veteran M Asif. “Abbas, I think, is a bowler like him (Asif), in that mould and I really enjoy having him at the other end,” stated Amir.
The fast bowler stated that since his return to international cricket, he has enjoyed bowling along with Abbas. “At this time, Abbas is bowling the new ball really well with me. That was a problem we were having, in Tests especially, but seeing Abbas I’m very happy. He is very accurate, bowls really well within his limits. That means there is less pressure on me, because he contains it from his end and so at the other end, I can relax a little bit and go for wickets… I’ve really benefited from Abbas at one end,” said Aamir.
The Pakistani bowling spearhead, however, praised Asif calling him “the most dangerous bowler in Pakistan cricket.” “As a pair when we bowled together, we were very dangerous for any side…. So there is no doubt whatsoever about his ability,” Aamir added.
Aamir also praised veteran teammate Shoaib Malik for guiding him after his return to international cricket.
Malik, who was appointed as Aamir’s mentor by the PCB, greatly influenced the fast bowler when he returned to cricket after serving five years ban for getting involved in 2010 spot fixing scandal.
“You know if there is one guy in the recent Pakistan teams that I want to look at and follow, it is Shoaib bhai. I look at him and his personality. He is well-groomed, well-spoken now. He knows how to speak to juniors and seniors. He is the only guy who you could look at and want to go on that path.”
The fast bowler added that he enjoys cordial relations with the youngsters, revealing that he along with Imad Wasim, Umar Amin, Babar Azam, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz were all in one group during the Under 19. “To be honest, it has been very good and a very relaxed atmosphere. We are all pretty young in the side and we’ve played with each other at age levels,” said Amir.