I was super impressed: Akhtar recalls bowling to Warner alongside Amir

Pakistan’s legendary former pacer Shoaib Akhtar, in a YouTube video on Thursday, revealed that he was super impressed by a young Mohammad Amir, while recalling an encounter with Australia’s batsman David Warner, where Akhtar shared the ball with Amir.

The 44-year-old stated that Amir was making troubling Warner consistently, while Akhtar was having a hard time containing the prolific opener despite his experience.

“Mohammad Amir an exceptional talent, very clever. He is a genuine fast-bowler. I think he was a very intimidating bowler and a rising star. He had all of these qualities in the start. The sad part was that we saw all of that talent being wasted. But when I saw him I thought that I had seen such a clever fast-bowler after a very long time,” Akhtar said while praising Amir.

ALSO READ: Don't become a 'falooda' player: Yousaf warns Haider Ali

“Where batsman David Warner hit me for three or four boundaries, even though it was at the end of my career, I knew what to bowl but couldn’t bowl the way Amir was reading the situation. On the same pitch, he [Amir] was making Warner dance in Birmingham. I was thinking that I have spent 13 to 14 years in international cricket and I can’t contain him, and Amir who just burst into international cricket about a year ago is playing like it’s nothing. I was super impressed with his abilities,” he added.

Akhtar claimed that the fast-bowling duo of pacers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir was unplayable because of their understanding of the art of fast-bowling.

“You can call them [Amir and Asif] the spearhead, but they weren’t big strike fast-bowlers who could create an impact. However, they provided the team with consistent wickets in quick successions. They weren’t tear away fast-bowlers however they were successful and polished. I think managing them was not easy. That made them unplayable. Their length was very dangerous, and the way they used the length to trap the batsman was great,” he concluded.



اردو