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Asif wants Amir to replicate him, on the pitch
MUMBAI: Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were forming a deadly pace pair, following in the footsteps of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis as exponents of swing and seam
MUMBAI: Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were forming a deadly pace pair, following in the footsteps of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis as exponents of swing and seam bowling, when they were caught for spot-fixing in 2010 Lord’s Test.
As the younger Amir made his Test comeback on Thursday at the venue where it all went wrong, Asif ’s thoughts were also fixed on Pakistan’s first Test against England. Though he has also served his five-year ban, Asif remains in the wilderness, playing lower-level cricket in Norway.
Initially, there was little enthusiasm in Asif ’s voice when HT contacted him over the phone. But once the conversation veered towards how one had watched his magical spell in Karachi, in his debut series against India in 2006, the lanky bowler came alive.
“Amir will have to produce the kind of spell I bowled in Karachi (4/78 and 3/48 v India)), Sri Lanka (6/44 and 5/26, Kandy, 2005-06), Australia (6/41 and 2/ 53, Sydney, 2009-10) and South Africa (2/34 and 5/76, Port Elizabeth, 2006-07).”
In August 2010, set up by bookie Mazhar Majeed, Asif and Amir bowled no-balls as ordered by skipper Salman Butt in the Lord’s Test. After the sting expose, the three served bans and were jailed by a UK court.
Asif, now 33, backs his ex-bowling partner. “Amir has made a good comeback in limited-overs cricket, done well in the warm-up games also, so he will go into the game with confidence. But England are a very good side in Tests. It would be unwise to be over-dependent on Amir. One bowler cannot take 20 wickets.”
He was also concerned that Amir will be taunted by the crowd. “In your career whenever you make comeback, bade dil se karein (be strong hearted); whatever hurdles come your way, you have to overcome them.
“Amir shouldn’t let them (comments) affect him. (If someone passes remark) he shouldn’t get aggressive.”
Asked how much he repented missing out playing in his prime, Asif said: “Everyone makes mistakes, I have also made a mistake. I have learnt a lot from it. It was a very difficult time for me.”
This writer had interviewed Asif before his Test debut, and even then one could sense a craving for glamour. Asif admitted he lost his way. “There is a lot of glamour in the sport, there are other things also, and one can get carried away. I tell the youngsters, you should be able to learn by seeing others’ examples.”
He is hopeful of a comeback. “I’ve been doing my fitness and playing here in Norway. I want to be back for the tour of Australia and New Zealand,” he said. His agent’s efforts to get him a team in the Caribbean Premier League T20 hasn’t worked.
