CRICKET: TESTING BURDENS
The year was 2010. The venue: Lord’s. Having taken a six-wicket haul in the first innings, Mohammad Amir was on top of the world. Since his debut in the World T20 the previous year, the young bowler’s stock had risen rapidly. But it was his performance in Test cricket during the English summer that mesmerised one and all, compelling them to foresee greatness in his future as long as he continued to play.
Unfortunately, he did not.
During that very Lord’s Test, his world came crashing down. Instead of greatness, the name Mohammad Amir was now synonymous with “spot fixing”. The cricketing world was outraged, but it also felt betrayed. However, out of the three Pakistan players implicated in spot fixing, Amir was the only one they were prepared to forgive. His journey back into international cricket was not an easy one, but he was extremely fortunate to be given a second chance.
Since his comeback, though, he hasn’t been the same bowler he was before his ban. There have been glimpses of that greatness on a few occasions though — none more so than in the Champions Trophy final against India. Such performances reminded the Pakistani fans what Amir was capable of. They also instilled hope that he would eventually be back to his best.
A big number of cricket aficionados took fast bowler Mohammad Amir’s return to international cricket with a pinch of salt. Now his decision to cut down on Test cricket has raised a few more questions. Does he have a convincing response?
While the fans hoped, rumours began to circulate that Amir was considering retirement from Test cricket, and would focus on limited overs cricket to prolong his career. Amir denied the rumours initially but, as the old adage goes, ‘where there’s smoke, there’s fire’. While he did not quit Test cricket completely, he did make an announcement that he had agreed with the head coach Mickey Arthur to manage his workload by reducing the number of Test matches.
With the amount of cricket that is being played these days, a cricketer’s body, especially a fast bowler’s, can take a lot of toll. So, Amir’s concern seems plausible since he has bowled the most international overs for a Pakistani fast bowler in all three formats after making his comeback and is ranked seventh among fast bowlers worldwide. What compels one to question his decision though is the fact that a bowler of his calibre is willing to cut back on Test cricket in order to prolong his career in limited overs cricket.
In fact, he has stated that he might eventually end his career with a total tally of 50 Test matches. To say that this is perplexing would be an understatement. At 26 he has already played 30 Tests. If he plans to play for another 10 years, he will be playing, on average, only two Tests a year to get to 50.
Read: Mohammad Amir: The comeback kid
The most challenging of the three, Test cricket is still considered the premier format. A player’s skills, endurance, character and fitness are truly reflected while playing Test cricket. Therefore, it doesn’t come as a surprise that all the greats of the game have made their name playing Test cricket. It is such a shame for a bowler like Amir to not aim for such greatness. His decision has come as a shock to all his fans expecting big things from him.
However before drawing any conclusions it is necessary to assess the extent of the workload that Amir has undertaken over the last two years. This can be done by comparing his numbers with his contemporaries from the time he made his comeback.