Sharjah: At a time when everyone is stating that the T10 format is a batsman’s game, Maratha Arabians and Pakistan left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir believes that it is a format which is good for bowlers in many ways.
“Playing T10 cricket can add to a bowler’s confidence,” he said. “It is such a pressure game, more than in a T20 match, that after playing in this format one may feel that T20 is one with less pressure.”
Amir hailed as the world’s most deadliest left-arm pacer and who wrecked India’s strong batting line-up during the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy in England to give Pakistan the victory, said: “A bowler has to better his confidence constantly. T10 is all about bowling as many dot balls as possible unlike in T20 where one has to check the run flow. Learning to bowl dot balls adds to your confidence.”
Amir gained immense experience from the few days here with the legendary left-arm pacer Wasim Akram, who is the coach of the Maratha Arabians team. “It was great to have some time with Akram,” he said. “He guided me on the importance of the skills that is needed and on how to focus on every ball and attach more skills to every delivery. I learnt more on variations which is vital and so are yorkers and pace variations.”
Amir does not believe in comparing each format with another. “Test cricket is a totally different format from all formats,” he added. “You have to bowl longer spells in it. Then you have the red ball to handle. You need to play with a different mindset in it. In Test you also need to swing the ball as per conditions. So you cannot compare Test cricket with T20.”
So what is Amir’s advice to those who play in all formats of the game? “As a professional you have to adapt to every possible condition,” he said. “To adjust is the job of a professional. I believe that a good player is one who adjusts to the environment and uses it best to his advantage.”
Amir is now just five wickets short of completing 100 wickets in Test cricket. How does he feel about his form and performance in recent days? “Right now I am doing well. My performance is getting better day by day. In cricket you may have both good and bad days, but you have to keep on learning from them. In cricket the learning process should never stop. I want to better my performance every day.”
