“Test Cricket is the Real Deal” : Mohammad Aamer

[AZ]

At just 18 years old, Mohammad Aamer has rapidly matured into one of the most complete emerging fast bowlers in the world, and is already the spearhead of the Pakistan pace bowling attack after just one year. Speaking exclusively to PakPassion.net, the left-arm speedster shared his thoughts on his hopes and ambitions for the upcoming tour of England, on how he could improve his bowling and about Pakistan coach Waqar Younis.

In this era of fast-paced cricket and Twenty20 mania, Aamer still has a soft spot for cricket in its purest form. "Test cricket is the real deal. I enjoy Twenty20 matches and one-dayers, but Test cricket is the number one priority for me" he stated. Playing a Test match at Lord’s, the home of cricket, is a dream for every cricketer, and Aamer is certainly no different.

When questioned about Pakistan’s chances on the upcoming tour of England, Aamer was confident and upbeat. "I’m very excited about the series in England; I cannot wait to face the hosts, and especially Australia” he said.

“Pakistan start afresh against the Aussies and the previous series in Australia will be wiped from our minds" Aamer continued. Clearly, he is not suffering any long-lasting psychological damage from Pakistan’s previous encounters with the Australians in the longest form of the game; in fact, to the contrary. Aamer's performances Down Under were praised highly by experienced Australian cricket watchers, and the youngster is raring to have another go at the world's best team.

Aamer was also his usual honest and enthusiastic self when asked about potential concerns of him getting injured on such a long and arduous tour. "I don’t like being rested for any matches. I want to play all of the time. I'm a young guy, I feel strong, I feel fit and I don’t want to be rested. However I can understand the need for rest, but only want to be rested for dead rubbers", was his committed and forthright reply.

The native of Gujjar Khan also reflected on his experiences in working with the recently appointed Pakistan head coach and legendary fast bowler Waqar Younis. Aamer said "I enjoy working with Waqar, but its early days in our relationship, and I look forward to learning further from him. It's great that I can spend an extended period of time with him in the coming season when Pakistan has a lot of cricket".

"One area of my bowling for improvement that Waqar has mentioned to me is to get closer to the stumps, which will bring more lbws into the game for me", was Aamer's honest appraisal of his own bowling. This is an opinion also voiced by legendary England opening batsman Sir Geoffrey Boycott when interviewed by PakPassion.net in Feb 2010 - it seems the Pakistani teenage prodigy has heeded the advice of the English great.


http://www.pakpassion.net/gallery/files/3/1/6/2/03920392640x480.JPG

[AZ]

Many thanks to Aamer for making time for us, we wish him all the best for Asia Cup and the tour of England.

[sakss]

our Gujjar khan express is on the right track ...hope he has a successful summer

[*sallu*]

Good write up AZ
Your first?

Good to know Aamer is working on getting closer to the stumps, his bowling would be so much more dangerous than it already is if he can get the ball to curve in, which will only be possible if he comes closer to the stumps

[mindless slogging]

"Test cricket is the real deal. I enjoy Twenty20 matches and one-dayers, but Test cricket is the number one priority for me" he stated.

Good to know he has his priorities right.



''However I can understand the need for rest, but only want to be rested for dead rubbers", was his committed and forthright reply.



Should have been rested for the Asia Cup. There is no need to start playing this meaningless tournament before a testing two month tour - consisting of 6 tests and countless limited over matches.

If anything, the ODIs in England would be a more realistic measure of the teams progress toward the World Cup.

[khalil1986]

Good lad concentrate on tests who cares about the other two formats

[AZ]

Good write up AZ
Your first?

Good to know Aamer is working on getting closer to the stumps, his bowling would be so much more dangerous than it already is if he can get the ball to curve in, which will only be possible if he comes closer to the stumps

;-)

if Aamer can get close and get his inswinger going against the right handers, the sky is the limit IMO, will be an absolute killer with the ball in his hands.

[pakmania]

Glad to see he isnt interested in following the tamasha route like so many others.Also,great to see he working on his weaknesses if any !

Top,top bowler.

[Sledger]

Encouraging to see a youngster not caught up in the T20 world. Test cricket is still the pinnacle and these crappy leagues like IPL don't make you a good cricketer. Hopefully, he can work on his test bowling and get the average down - all the potential is there but he just needs to be groomed and quickly.

[IMMY69]

This interview should show everyone what is the best way forward for Pakistan...

i.e. YOUTH!!! They have no fear and no lingering hangovers from previous defeats...
They're enthusiastic and feel they can beat anyone in the world!

[Imr4n_Khan]

I remember read or hearing Shoaib Akhtars interview while back where he stated that when he was young all he wanted to do was bowel everyday and all day long and he did exactly that. He said it didn't effect him when he was young, but now he said it is effecting him. Him bowling a lot when he was young is having a quite a lot effect on him. It's great Aamer wants to bowel and bowel, but its important to understand the need to rest.

[SOSami]

Agree with Sallu - nice write up.

Also well done to Aamir for actually responding to questions in an engaging way instead of the usual bog-standard answers given by cricketers nowadays.

Lovely to see an interview with a Pakistan cricketer that doesn't involve excuses or off the field indescritions.

[Pakistan_Zindabaad]

I remember read or hearing Shoaib Akhtars interview while back where he stated that when he was young all he wanted to do was bowel everyday and all day long and he did exactly that. He said it didn't effect him when he was young, but now he said it is effecting him. Him bowling a lot when he was young is having a quite a lot effect on him. It's great Aamer wants to bowel and bowel, but its important to understand the need to rest.
:)))

[ItsMeK1]

nice write up .... Cant wait to see Amir in England

[Sledger]

This interview should show everyone what is the best way forward for Pakistan...

i.e. YOUTH!!! They have no fear and no lingering hangovers from previous defeats...
They're enthusiastic and feel they can beat anyone in the world!
Honestly, Aamer, U Akmal and Asif are the only reasons I watch Pakistan test cricket these days. There is a spark of hope for the future, I just hope more young talents are added and can develop over time.

[RehanG]

good bowler hope he learns a bit from Asif Akhtar during Asia Cup (not how to take chars) haha

[AZ]

Honestly, Aamer, U Akmal and Asif are the only reasons I watch Pakistan test cricket these days. There is a spark of hope for the future, I just hope more young talents are added and can develop over time.

you're forgetting someone...

[Poison]

you're forgetting someone...

:malik ?

[Sledger]

you're forgetting someone...
I usually turn the game off when :butt is at the crease.

[WithLoveFromCanada]

Zulfi Sorry if i missed it but did you ask him about certain member in the team were pointed to stand on the boundary and flirt with girls and Do you know aamer about some of them or can you please provide whom do you think this comment was pointed at ?

Another question could have been....what were the main factors behind the ponting drop in third test?

[pakcricketfan]

Should have been rested for the Asia Cup. There is no need to start playing this meaningless tournament before a testing two month tour - consisting of 6 tests and countless limited over matches.

If anything, the ODIs in England would be a more realistic measure of the teams progress toward the World Cup.

Spot on.
I didn't want Aamer to go to SL for the Asia Cup. We need him fit and fresh for the busy summer ahead.

[taaveez]

Good interview. The one thing that really stands out is his thinking about taking on Aussies. On one hand, our captain doesn't want us to expect much from the tests, and on the other, Aamer wants to bowl hard against the Aussies in the tests. Talk about priorities.

[AZ]

Spot on.
I didn't want Aamer to go to SL for the Asia Cup. We need him fit and fresh for the busy summer ahead.

kitna rest karwaogey? we've barely played any serious cricket this year.

[sully3]

kitna rest karwaogey? we've barely played any serious cricket this year.


agreed
they should go easy on bowlers in the trainning camp starting from 5th june.
we dnt need another gul

[Ali888]

he must be really looking forward to teaming up with the other Rawalpindi Express, he said as much a year or so ago, will be great experience for him

it is one thing getting tips from legends who have retired it is quite another bowling alongside your hero the original Rawalpindi Express

[fawad_wellwisher]

he must be really looking forward to teaming up with the other Rawalpindi Express, he said as much a year or so ago, will be great experience for him

it is one thing getting tips from legends who have retired it is quite another bowling alongside your hero the original Rawalpindi Express

A hero that uses his bat as a weapon. If I were Aamer I would stay away from Shoaib.

[WeAreTheVampions]

Wow he makes perfect sense. =D

[mastermind_quad]

Well Done Aamer .... for whatever u achieve till now .... Test cricket is a pinnacle form of cricket ....and according to this statement u r on a right path...but u r in a wrong team ...where even ur heart out performance Team success is not surety(because of batsman/fielders or when some player deliberately want to under-perform for loosing cause.) ..

All the best 2 u and Pakistan .....!!!!..:)

[azk]

great interview. can't wait to see how his bowling progresses under waqar.

[Amjid Javed]

Hopefully Aamer can continue to make a big name for himself during the summer tests against Australia and England.

[Rizie]

Hopefully :asif and :akhtar will learn him some new tricks

[LG]

Excellent!! Great to see that he has his priorities set right. And congrats AZ!!
Well Done Aamer .... for whatever u achieve till now .... Test cricket is a pinnacle form of cricket ....and according to this statement u r on a right path...but u r in a wrong team ...where even ur heart out performance Team success is not surety(because of batsman/fielders or when some player deliberately want to under-perform for loosing cause.) ..

All the best 2 u and Pakistan .....!!!!..:)
Should he be in the Indian team?? :inti ;-)

[SOSami]

Made it to Cricinfo!!

http://www.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/current/story/461981.html

[RehanG]

http://www.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/current/story/461981.html

[Wassixpakistani]

Nice work , Zulfiqar .

Good to hear that Aamer is concentrating on real cricket .

[mastermind_quad]

Excellent!! Great to see that he has his priorities set right. And congrats AZ!!

Should he be in the Indian team?? :inti ;-)

hahaha...i don't mean that buddy ....:).....good performance in losing cause never impact much that's what i mean .....u already know what happened with very very good performance of Asif and Sami in Sydney test .....usually nobody care for what u have delivered in losing cause...!!!!



and if he is in Indian team he would have already part of good Test team and even his avg. performance would be termed best....just Imagine Aamer with our test batting lineup n we usually don't drop much(especially in Slip) ...imagine he having 500+ score to defend can show all of his skill freely....;-) ;-)

[Saj]

There's a certain amount of confidence in Aamer's voice these days.

The dialling tone when I rang him, maybe the same, but this is a different Aamer I was listening to.

Gone is the shy, young, kid who was almost reluctant to speak on the phone. These days it's a much more confident, self assured lad.

No arrogance, still a nice lad, but a much more confident guy.

[Xohaib]

hahaha...i don't mean that buddy ....:).....good performance in losing cause never impact much that's what i mean .....u already know what happened with very very good performance of Asif and Sami in Sydney test .....usually nobody care for what u have delivered in losing cause...!!!!



and if he is in Indian team he would have already part of good Test team and even his avg. performance would be termed best....just Imagine Aamer with our test batting lineup n we usually don't drop much(especially in Slip) ...imagine he having 500+ score to defend can show all of his skill freely....;-) ;-)
Even mohd sami will be a hero there,like irfan pathan.

[wiseguy]

damn right Aamir it is all about test cricket!!!!

[Omar Malik]

Respect the game and you will go a long way YOUNG AAMER!

[SlowerBall]

Top stuff from my man Aamer. I cant wait to see him in England.

[insaftak]

Made it to the news/Jang

http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=243146

This is probably the first time thenews/Jang are quoting Pakpassion!!!!

Well Done ALL!!!!!!!!

[Ryankhan]

very good interview. loved it. AMIR seems to be a intelliegent kid and its good to see youngsters also loves playing test cricket as some other youngsters think they are bradman or zaheer abbas by playing in 20-20 and performing there. Still many legends cricketer says 20-20 is for fun only n its not really a actual cricket...all the best to amir

[UntouchablePlaya]

congrats, good article!

[LG]

hahaha...i don't mean that buddy ....:).....good performance in losing cause never impact much that's what i mean .....u already know what happened with very very good performance of Asif and Sami in Sydney test .....usually nobody care for what u have delivered in losing cause...!!!!



and if he is in Indian team he would have already part of good Test team and even his avg. performance would be termed best....just Imagine Aamer with our test batting lineup n we usually don't drop much(especially in Slip) ...imagine he having 500+ score to defend can show all of his skill freely....;-) ;-)
Hahaha. You're not wrong there. Had he played in the Indian team, he would now be termed as their greatest fast bowler ever. :P

[mastermind_quad]

Hahaha. You're not wrong there. Had he played in the Indian team, he would now be termed as their greatest fast bowler ever. :P


yes not the greatest ..but probably the Best in current lot...:)

[hasanmehmoodkhan]

aamer is a great bowler good to hear he is focusing on the longest version of the game i hop Hammad azam and Mohammed irfan are given a chance against england

[Saj]

Made it to the news/Jang

http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=243146

This is probably the first time thenews/Jang are quoting Pakpassion!!!!

Well Done ALL!!!!!!!!
They have quoted PakPassion on quite a few occasions.

[Saj]

What will really interest me in the coming weeks and months is the part of the interview where Aamer talks about getting closer to the stumps and bringing LBWs into play.

As Boycott suggested to PakPassion, its an area of his bowling that he needs to work on, and in Waqar has the ideal man to work on this issue.

I sincerely hope that Waqar makes this issue one of his main priorities. If he can work on this with Aamer he will become twice the bowler he already is.

[Down2Earth]

can't wait to watch him live at lords later this summer.

[AtifUk]

I have to say, watching Amir running in to bowl is a treat, the guy has so much spirit and I for one love his celebrations. :108: :108:

[Saj]

I think Aamer could be fantastic in England if he just touches up on a few technical areas of his bowling.

Really need Waqar to work on a couple of issues with him.

[Amjid Javed]

I think Aamer could be fantastic in England if he just touches up on a few technical areas of his bowling.

Really need Waqar to work on a couple of issues with him.

I think with a pretty dry summer expected in UK we may see Reverse swing play a big part in both series, Most wickets in England tend to be pretty placid and hard work for the seamers.

I think Aamer needs to keep working on Art of reverse swing and also utlizing the new ball well by attacking the stumps looking for bowled and LBWs!

[LG]

^^ Agreed. At the moment we're seeing batsmen play and miss Aamir too often (not to mention dropped catches), and at the end of the day Aamir has only a few wickets to show for his efforts. He needs to target the stumps and make sure that when the batsmen miss he hits gold.

[Saj]

"One area of my bowling for improvement that Waqar has mentioned to me is to get closer to the stumps, which will bring more lbws into the game for me", was Aamer's honest appraisal of his own bowling. This is an opinion also voiced by legendary England opening batsman Sir Geoffrey Boycott when interviewed by PakPassion.net in Feb 2010 - it seems the Pakistani teenage prodigy has heeded the advice of the English great.

This issue is still present in Aamer's bowling.

Whilst he's not bowling as wide of the crease as he was in the past, I still feel that he can get closer to the stumps and bring the lbw more into the game.

[Impala_KaifTamasha]

Might not ever play Test Cricket Again

:(

[Sledger]

Lol @ these bumps. :))

:amir

[Markhor]

Amir was asked in an interview once who he is the closest to in the Pakistani team. He said Salman Butt. This was before Salman became captain.

The interview is on youtube.

[Usman]

:))) :)))

'Test cricket is the real deal' takes on a whole new meaning now. How does that song go, 'paisa, paisa, paisa'!

[RehanG]

:( bechara Aamir ab real deal is playing in your gali cooocha

[blinding light]

Might not ever play Test Cricket Again

:(

I hate you! :6:

[Friend786]

stop bumping aamer's thread

[PB]

Aamers gone...Get over it..

[KSaeed]

Might not ever play Test Cricket Again

:(

You evil guy- you bumped a thread just to remind us of this kid who could have gone on to become a legend for us??!!:6::6::6:

[amirfanforlife]

Please people, kuch to socho, hum fans ko aur maath ralao! :6:

[JibranAnsari]

mods please close this thread.

[abc_to_xyz]

not again.. :( Ameeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer

[cricket_fever]

i sometimes wanna throttle these ppl who keep on bumping amir threads, and freshening old healing wounds and deepening the scars!

[Gollum]

epic bumps :)))

[Sledger]

This (http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/showthread.php?p=2861240) thread is also asking for the treatment.

[farazaidi]

oh for Christ sake, get over it!

[Warfare]

Loving these bumped threads.