Mohammad Amir seems to be in sparkling form at the moment, and he carried it on his comeback to international cricket on Saturday, April 20.
Pakistan hosted New Zealand in the second T20I of the five-match series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi after the first T20I was washed out.
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He shared the new ball responsibilities with Shaheen Afridi, and the duo wreaked havoc inside the powerplay. Shaheen dismissed Tim Seifert in the third over, followed by Amir scalping the wickets of Tim Robinson and Dean Foxcroft.
Eventually, the Kiwis were bundled out for just 90 runs, with Shaheen Afridi picking up three wickets. Amir finished with figures of 2-13 in his three overs.
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If there’s one bowler who has troubled India, especially in T20Is, more than anyone else in the last decade or so, then it’s got to be Mohammad Amir.
Amir, at 32, looks as fresh and fit and sharp as ever. Although he announced his decision to retire from international cricket in December 2020, he seems as motivated as ever to help bring back the glory days to Pakistan.
India are set to pace Pakistan on June 9 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, in a 2024 T20 World Cup group stage match.
In eight meetings between these two sides in T20 World Cups, India have won seven times, with the only loss coming at the 2021 edition.
While Amir didn’t play that game, he’ll be keen to help Pakistan get another win over India in World Cups when the two teams face in June.
Amir’s ability to swing the ball both ways, at high speeds, and with impeccable accuracy has given the Indian top order batsmen plenty of nightmares in the past. Just check how he did in 2016, rattling the top order in both the Asia Cup as well as the T20 World Cup that year.
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Although Amir has played just two T20Is against India, he has taken four wickets. He has dismissed Rohit Sharma twice, and both Suresh Raina and Ajinkya Rahane once.
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Parshva is a Content Producer for The Sporting News’ India edition.
