Mumbai: Pakistani fast bowling spearhead has called for patience and said that he doesn’t have a magic wand to produce results straightaway. Amir returned to the side this year after being banned for five years.
Amir was part of the Test squad, which drew the series and he also played in four ODIs and one-off T20. He bowled well but plenty of catches were dropped of his bowling and was also unlucky quite a few times on the tour.
“Whenever I play, there are a lot of expectations. But the thing is I don’t have a magic wand. This is international cricket and you cannot deliver in a day,” Amir told ‘The News’ newspaper in an interview in England.
“I have come back to this level of cricket after six years. I know I have to work hard. It will take time. Even when I first started playing international cricket it took me a year before everyone started noticing me,” he added.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) used its diplomatic relations to obtain visa for the seamer. Amir was convicted of spot fixing in 2010 and spent six months in juvenile jail in United Kingdom before returning to Pakistan.
Amir was under tremendous pressure to perform after he arrived in UK and fans expected that he would be the trump card of the summer. The expectations put on him were unrealistic and the pacer performed admirably throughout the tour.
However, Amir finished with 12 wickets in four Tests and just four in four ODIs, including 3-50 in Pakistan’s only win in the final ODI in Cardiff.
“During the tour I have observed various things and I know that I need to change. I have to work hard on my fitness and form. Once your level is up then you can really start expressing yourself,” he said.
After returning and playing competitive international cricket, Amir will be charged up and said he is looking forward to taking on Windies in United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Australians Down Under.
“The best thing is that this series (in England) was my biggest pressure tour. It went smoothly and that has added to my confidence. I am sure my performance will be better in New Zealand and Australia as I have done well against them in the past. Personally, I have this feeling that I am getting better with every match,” he said.
The talented Pakistani seamer got caught up in spot fixing and missed valuable years in his career. He was the emerging pacer when the whole fiasco took place and since then has apologised to the public and made a comeback to the national team. Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif were the other conspirators in the saga and were banned and suspended for their crime.
Amir has moved on and the more he plays better he will get. He has taken 63 wickets in 18 Test matches at an average of 31.63 and 35 and 34 wickets in ODIs and T20Is respectively. Amir can now concentrate only on cricket and become the best bowler in the world that he was supposed to be six years ago.