Mohammad Amir, Shan Masood remember Ricky Ponting’s sledging in 2010

Mohammad Amir, the Pakistan fast bowler, recently had an Instagram Live session with Shan Masood, the top order batsman. During their interaction, the duo went down the memory lane and talked about an incident in Pakistan’s two-match Test series in 2010 against Australia in England.

They talked about how Ricky Ponting, the then Aussie skipper, tried to sledge the opposition. Amir recalled how Ponting tried to get under his skin. After getting rid of Punter for 26 at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, both of them collided in the heat of the moment.

Amir also told how Ponting ‘elbowed’ him. “Remember, Umar Amin took the catch of Ponting,” Shan was quoted as saying during the chat. “Me and Umar Amin got verbally abused by Ponting after dismissing him. He elbowed me as well,” Amir replied.

Ponting also sledged Umar Amin

In the match at the Home of Cricket, left-handed batsman Umar Amin made his debut. And Ponting tried to ruffle his feathers with words of advice from behind. He asked the debutant to tuck in his shirt since the latter wasn’t playing in his backyard.

“When he [Umar Amin] went to bat in that match, his shirt was not tucked in. So, when he was taking his batting guard, Ponting came up to him and asked him to tuck in his shirt because he was not playing in his backyard,” Shan stated.

“He scared the poor guy before he could bat,” Amir added. Amin came to bat at number three and perished for a single to fast bowler Mitchell Johnson. However, the left-hander turned up with a gutsy knock of 33 off 55 balls in the second innings, though Pakistan lost the game by 150 runs.

Nevertheless, the team, captained by Shahid Afridi, drew level, winning the second Test at the Headingley in Leeds by three wickets. Amir was the Player of the Match in that game. In the first innings, he managed to pick the crucial wickets of Simon Katich, Steve Smith and Johnson.

In the second instance, the left-armer pinned Katich, Ponting, Michael Hussey and Marcus North. His four-wicket haul meant that Pakistan were set a target of 180, which they comfortably achieved.