14:00 GMT, 18 April 2024

Announcement

Dear Members and Guests

The PakPassion team are delighted to welcome you back to our forums.

You will have noticed that we have re-launched the forums with a new software that we feel will provide our members with a much better all-round experience.

As with any upgrade, it will take a bit of time to get used to and there may be some issues that will need correcting. We have set up this thread


for you to report any issues that need looking into by our technicians or if you have any suggestions regarding the design and the layout of the forums.

We thank you for your patience whilst the forums were not available, but as you can imagine, a project like this takes a lot of planning, organising and hard work.

So, welcome back and happy posting!

LATEST POLL

Are you in favor of the concessions made by the PCB to allow Imad Wasim to reverse his decision to retire from international cricket?
  • Votes: (0%)
  • Votes: (0%)
Total Votes:
First Vote:
Last Vote:
 

Exclusive Interviews

Is Mike Hesson becoming Pakistan's Head Coach? PSL 9 Champion Coach in conversation with Saj

In an exclusive interview for PakPassion, the former RCB ...

"There were lessons for everybody at Qalandars to learn, including me": Sikandar Raza

Sikandar Raza, in his exclusive interview with PakPassion, reflects ...

"For Shaheen Afridi’s leadership journey, this result will not be a bad thing": Rassie van der Dussen

Top Proteas batter Rassie van der Dussen shares insights ...

"Babar is a role model of Pakistan cricket": Luke Wood

England & Peshawar Zalmi fast bowler Luke Wood joins ...

"In the last game, the spinners took 9 wickets so as a coach, you feel pride for them": Alex Hartley

Former England spinner and spin coach for the Multan ...

“It hasn’t been the overseas pacers that have been impressive, it’s been some of the locals” Ian Pont

Former Essex cricketer and renowned fast bowling coach discusses ...

Latest Content

view all

Is Mike Hesson becoming Pakistan's Head Coach? PSL 9 Champion Coach in conversation with Saj

In an exclusive interview for PakPassion, the former RCB coach who helped Islamabad United clinch their 3rd PSL title spoke to Saj about the following points:                                        ...

Read more

"There were lessons for everybody at Qalandars to learn, including me": Sikandar Raza

Sikandar Raza, in his exclusive interview with PakPassion, reflects on his forgettable journey with Lahore Qalandars in PSL 9. He discusses various topics, including his experience in PSL 9, lessons from Lahore Qalandars' season, the promotion of Shaheen Afridi in the batting lineup, his role ...

Read more

Shaharyar Khan: A man of integrity and decency, who believed in building bridges and not walls

In an exquisitely penned tribute to the former PCB Chairman, the Late Shaharyar Khan, veteran member @KB describes to us exactly why the former diplomat endeared himself to many generations of Pakistanis and why the void left by his departure will ...

Read more

"Franchises can learn from Islamabad United in terms of loyalty and backing players": Saj

In the latest review By Saj, the focus is on Islamabad United's performance in the Pakistan Super League, highlighting their strengths, challenges faced during the group stage, and their ultimate success in winning the tournament.

Read more

Talent Spotter

view all Talent Spotters
Talent Spotter : Mukhtar Ahmed

Unheard of less than a month ago, Sialkot Stallions’ Mukhtar Ahmed burst onto the scene with the...

Read More ...

Talent Spotter : Hasan Raza

18 year-old Hasan Raza is a left-handed middle order batsman from Mirpur who has been a regular for...

Read More ...

Talent Spotter : Irfanullah Shah

Pakpassion caught up with the tall pacer from Bannu as he discussed his career to date and...

Read More ...

Mohammad Amir's excellent 5/30 was the only highlight of a very disappointing performance by Pakistan in their defeat to Australia.

12th June, 2019

 

With his hero Wasim Akram watching, a player he would imitate as a child in Changa Bangial, Mohammad Amir produced a spell of hostile fast bowling that would have had the Sultan of Swing tapping a foot in appreciation.

Amir, who has been inconsistent in recent years, claimed career best figures of 5/30, the best of the tournament to date and the best by a Pakistan seamer at a World Cup since Akram’s 5/28 against Namibia in 2003 - as his clever variation of pace and canny use of swing and seam were the foundation of a performance that while not ultimately match-winning, was certainly eye-catching.

It was the first five wicket haul of his one-day career, at a ground where he returned to English cricket three years ago after a lengthy and much-publicised spell out of the sport.

No wonder captain Sarfaraz Ahmed was first across to the 27-year old after he claimed the scalp of Mitchell Starc to end Australia’s innings on 307 - a total that was to prove just too big for Pakistan, who slipped to a 41-run defeat at Taunton.

If only Amir’s team-mates had been on the same level, as dropped catches and fielding errors punctuated an Australia innings that started with a flash and flourish, thanks to Aaron Finch and David Warner, but ended in a whimper, the last eight wickets falling for just 84 runs.

He was drafted into Sarfaraz’s side on the eve of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, which many thought was a throw of the dice by a Pakistan team that had been ruthlessly rolled by England in four ODI matches last month.

Pakistan are, of course, a team that is supposedly easy to label, it’s hard to read their name without the predictable preface of ‘unpredictable’.

Lacklustre against the West Indies in their tournament opener, they rebounded to end a winless run of 11 matches with a brilliant victory over favourites England a few days later.

It seems you’re always destined to ride the rollercoaster with these Cornered Tigers and if a team was summed up by one player, then Amir could well be the man.

His combative opening spell had Finch and Warner hoping and weaving and he went for just one boundary in his ten overs, 37 dot balls underlining just how uncomfortable he was to face in the overcast conditions.

Sarfaraz did his best to accentuate the positives of Pakistan’s second defeat in four matches, a loss which leaves them little margin ahead of this weekend’s clash with India.

"We conceded too many runs in the first 20 overs apart from Mohammad Amir. He bowled absolutely brilliantly, as good as I’ve ever seen him bowl, that’s a big positive for us,” he said. “We came back and restricted them well but it was a 270-280 pitch.”

Virat Kohli regards Amir as one of the toughest bowlers to face and it would be hard to argue with the Indian captain on the evidence of this display at Taunton, which took him to the top of the tournament bowling standings.

The problem is you don’t always know what Amir will turn up - and we all know who Kohli would prefer at Old Trafford on Sunday.

In the ICC Champions Trophy two years ago he struggled in the group stages but took out India’s top three batsmen in a match-winning performance in the final.

Then his form dramatically evaporated, failing to pick up a single wicket in last year’s Asian Cup, as his average took a pounding.

His display with the ball with one of the few highlights of Pakistan’s defeat to the West Indies while he removed England danger man Jos Buttler with one of his two wickets at Trent Bridge, spells which showed flashes of the brilliance that always lurks.

But this was the best yet - and be assured Kohli and co. were watching and worrying.

 

ICC Media Release