Mickey Arthur: “He will be the first one to tell you his stats haven’t been good in ODI cricket. He’s aware of it, as are we”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur has admitted that left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir’s lack of wickets in ODI cricket is a growing concern.

Amir has only taken three wickets in nine ODIs at an average of 86.33 in the last 12 months, and he even went wicketless during the Asia Cup last September.

“He will be the first one to tell you his stats haven’t been good in ODI cricket,” Arthur was quoted as saying by PakPassion. “He’s aware of it, as are we. I think he’s an incredibly skilled bowler and can win games for Pakistan. When the ball swings, there’s no better bowler. Yes, it hasn’t swung for a bit and we’re working on that. We identified he was decelerating into the crease.

“He’s still incredibly skilled and has big match temperament. When the game’s on the line, he wants the ball in the pressure situations and that’s good enough for me at any stage. So many players across the world don’t want the ball when the game is on the line, but he does.”

Despite his concerns about Amir’s form in ODIs, Arthur admitted he was impressed with the 26-year-old’s performance in the recently concluded Twenty20 series against South Africa.

While Amir only featured in the third Twenty20 International, he took figures of 3-27 off his four overs, which played an instrumental role in leading Pakistan to a consolation win.

“I was happy to see his performance in the last T20I, his skill level came to the fore, he executed yorkers beautifully and he gets a bit of reverse as well,” Arthur said. “Stats, not great and we know that. But sometimes you have a gut feel about the player. When the big moment presents itself, I’m comfortable that he will deliver.”