Seam king Mohammad Asif has said that his former bowling partner and Pakistan star Mohammad Amir does not get the same swing he used to get against the right-handers earlier in his career.
According to Daily Express, Asif feels that Amir is unable to cause problems for the right-handed batsmen, largely because he has lost the ability to bring the ball back.
Asif acknowledged, however, that Amir did bowl "a few decent spells" during World Cup 2019. It is pertinent to mention here that Amir was Pakistan's leading wicket taker at the tournament and at times carried the bowling unit on his back.
Amir's recent decision to retire from Test cricket at the tender age of 27 also caught Asif by surprise. He deemed it a "premature" decision.
The right-arm pacer also expressed his disappointment at the current crop of Pakistani bowlers in Tests, saying that none of them "are suitable for the format or have delivered impressive performances".
Asif claimed that the PCB has made Pakistan Super League the benchmark for all formats, where a few good overs or a few decent hits can get you in the national fold.
He also questioned why the young Mohammad Hasnain was taken to the World Cup on the basis of a few matches, and why he wasn't given a single chance at the tournament.
He urged the board to keep separate pools of players for all three formats, stressing that the mindset and approach needed for T20 cricket is a lot different to what is needed in longer formats.
Asif, Amir and Salman Butt are the three Pakistan players who were caught in the infamous 2010 spot-fixing scandal. While Amir has clawed his way back to the highest level, Asif and Butt have not.
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