Bangla Tigers fast bowler Mohammad Amir on Thursday opened up on his battle with COVID-19 amid the ongoing Season 5 of Abu Dhabi T10 and revealed that he has returned to bowl at the nets sessions.
"I practised for two days. When I run for long or if I speak for too long, I start coughing. It is difficult because you feel fatigued. But as a professional, you need to have the mindset to get yourself out of that zone or it will keep troubling you. You know your responsibilities to your body. I am improving day by day," Amir said.
Amir also went on to speak about the possibility of bilateral series between India and Pakistan being held in Dubai after Chairman of the Dubai Cricket Council Abdul Rahman Falaknaz offered to host the same in the city over the past week.
"It is a good gesture and we should thank him," Amir said. "But until the governments from the two countries do not sit down to discuss their problems, till then the third parties cannot do anything. It also depends on the cricket boards of both the nations and what their thought process is. If all parties agree, and if there is a bilateral series between India and Pakistan in Dubai, it will be great for the sport," he said.
The veteran fast bowler also expressed a desire to be a part of the team in the final 4-5 games and also added that he has no pressure from Bangla Tigers."I wish to play the last 4-5 games. The team is performing well at this point and we have found our winning combination. It helps me as I can take an extra day or two if needed to recover. There is no pressure from management and they have told me I can play whenever I start to feel better," Amir added.Amir, who has played 36 Tests, 61 ODIs, and 50 T20Is for Pakistan, spoke about the intricacies of playing as a fast bowler in the T10 format, where each bowler only gets to bowl two overs per innings."You feel pressure every second in T10. It is good for a player to be under experience because it improves the skills of a player. It is a very tough tournament for a bowler because the margin of error is minimal. There is no room to settle. Your game awareness increases as you are constantly planning how you can bowl a dot ball or prevent boundaries," Amir said."If I get swing on the surface, I will take my chance with it. It does not matter which format it is, you should always go with your strengths. If you are not able to find swing, then you have to change your plans in T10 because batsmen come with the mindset to start hitting shots straightaway. You may need to start bowling as one does in death overs," he added.Amir also slammed trolls for criticising Pakistan fast bowler Hasan Ali for dropping Matthew Wade's catch in the World Cup T20 semifinal against Australia and praised the team for their performance in the tournament."Our team went to World Cup after New Zealand series and England series were cancelled. Coaches came in contracts of one-two months. There was a change in management. Performing in this environment is a big achievement. Even India, who were playing Indian Premier League in UAE, were not able to qualify for the semifinal stages," Amir said."Those who troll have no cricket sense. Every player has dropped catches in their career, and Hasan is a good fielder. Also, we did not lose the match because of the dropped catch. You cannot troll this team, you can only give them credit for how well they played," he added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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