Mohammad Asif wants Pakistan bowlers to provide right support to Amir

Team Pakistan is having a dismal run in New Zealand. Having lost the ODI series 0-5, they went on to lose the first T20I as well. While most of the cricket pundits have put the blame on the Pakistani batsmen, veteran bowler Mohammad Asif begs to differ. As per the quotes in The Tribune, Asif has put the blame on the inability of Pakistani bowlers to hunt in pairs.

He noted that Mohammad Amir is a class act. However, he has found no support from the other end. Mohammad Asif feels that if the other bowlers start bowling well around Mohammad Amir, the team could pretty well find themselves in a happy space.

“A bowler is usually only successful when he is being supported from the other end. The combination of bowlers and the understanding between partners is really important for any bowler to succeed in difficult conditions, and Pakistan have not able to get that right,” quoted Mohammad Asif.

“Amir has the potential to take wickets and he impressed during the last year. However, he hasn’t been among the wickets here because he hasn’t found any decent support from the other end,” he added.

Amir is the key bowler

Commenting more on the same issue, Mohammad Asif remarked that Amir has only been a shadow of his own self of what he used to be. He feels that if the other bowlers start chipping in, even Amir will be able to find his rhythm back in the game. This, according to Mohammad Asif, will be the key to Pakistan’s chances in the second T20I.

“Amir is a key bowler but he is unable to perform well these days. The bowlers should combine in such a way that ideally if there is a left-arm pacer from one end then a right-armer should be operating from the other end; especially if they both operate with the same level of aggression. If they do that then they will eventually be able to take wickets. If they get the bowling combinations right in the second T20I then they can win it,” mentioned the veteran cricketer.

Sallu blames the batsmen

Meanwhile, former Pakistan chief selector Salahuddin Sallu has put the blame for the string of poor performances on the batsmen. The team has seen multiple batting collapses on the tour and hence, the team has struggled big time. He noted that the batsmen have to score runs on the board to provide the bowlers with an opportunity to try their hands at the opposition batters.

“If the batsmen are unable to put up a good total then all the pressure shifts onto the bowlers to restrict runs and take wickets at the same time. That leads to mistakes and poor balls since the bowlers don’t have much margin of error. The batsmen need to put up a good total or chase down whatever they are set if Pakistan are to have any success in the upcoming two games,” quoted Salahuddin Sallu.

Speaking further on the same note, he added that the problem with the Men in Green has been that they have lost wickets in clusters. He cited how the Kiwi team senses an opportunity as soon as they get one wicket to their credit.

“The problem with the Pakistani batsmen is that they lose wickets one after the other. If New Zealand claim one wicket then they are usually able to take two or three more soon after. This not only lifts up the bowling team but also hampers the entire batting effort. At least one batsman needs to anchor the innings and the other batsmen need to play around him,” he remarked.

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