Mohammad Amir Has Lost His Swing, Says SSGC Coach Atiq uz Zaman

Sui Southern Gas Corporation (SSGC) head coach Atiq uz Zaman, on Sunday, said that Mohammad Amir has lost his swing and the team management is looking to help him in getting it back as the pacer returns to domestic cricket.

Mohammad Amir looked like a pale shadow of his usual self in the recently-concluded Asia Cup. The Pakistan pace spearhead went wicketless in the three matches he played in the tournament. Not surprisingly, he had to sit out the games against Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

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In fact, Amir has struggled for consistency since his return to international cricket after serving the suspension.  Spells like one in the Champions Trophy final have been very few and have looked more like flash in a pan as the left-arm pacer continues to struggle. Those struggles have become more prominent in recent times.  He has taken only three wickets since the final of last year’s Champions Trophy, at an average of 100.66.

And the latest loss in form has cost him his place in the Pakistan team. Amir has been ignored for the upcoming Test series against Australia. Amir has now returned to domestic cricket to rediscover his old form.

He will turn out for SSGC in October.  And SSGC coach Atiq uz Zaman believes his time with the club will prove to be beneficial for the 26-year old.

“Amir has lost his swing and we are looking to work on it,”  Atiq told Cricbuzz on Sunday. “We have Kabir Khan, one of the finest of his time, as a bowling coach with us.

“We will sit with Amir and work on his wrist position, his usage of the crease. And other technical aspects of the game. We are in a process of devising a complete plan for him and have had discussions about what needs to be done,” he added.

Amir has averaged over 100 with the ball in ODIs this year. And Atiq insinuated that Amir’s dip in form is partly a mental issue. Atiq feels Amir will get the room to express himself while playing for SSGC.

“When a bowler is not picking up a wicket, his stress starts building up and it gets to a point where he starts to doubt his ability,” he said.

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“His confidence has been shaken. Playing first-class cricket, Amir will not have that sort of pressure on him to win us matches. We will tell him to enjoy his cricket, allowing him the room to express himself. Amir is keen to return to domestic cricket. In fact, he was the one who reached out to us to express his desire to return to SSGC for the ongoing season,’ he added.