'It was amazing to have played such a spell'

Mohammad Amir has had a chequered return to international cricket. He is recovering from a sordid past that was his own making, and his return following the five-year ban faced initial resistance from his one-day captain Azhar Ali and Mohammad Hafeez. In the New Zealand T20Is his advance to the bowling crease was greeted by a 'cha-ching' cash register sound emanating from the DJ station.

With time however, the feeling emerged that Amir had done his time and was made an example of, and he was accepted back into the international fold. Welcoming words from India batsman Virat Kohli before the Asia Cup, and earlier by Amir's T20 skipper Shahid Afridi, not only paved the way for his acceptance, but also hinted at a special talent which if it went to waste would be a cricketing tragedy.

“It was his own fault; one shouldn't cry about that,” was how Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, responded to a question yesterday about whether it was tragic that Amir was in the wilderness for the past five years. Coming from the coach it carried a lot of weight and was indicative of how the team felt about the young pacer. “But he is definitely world-class. He is coming back stronger and stronger, he is getting better and better; he is going to be an asset for Pakistan in the next few years. The way he swung the ball, the pace, the length, it was outstanding.”

The manner in which Amir steamed in and made short shrift of the vaunted Indian top order made it seem that he knew how foolish he had been, and that now the task was to make up for lost time. While he played internationals in New Zealand before this, the Asia Cup, and particularly the match against arch-rivals India, was to be his true return to the big time.

By taking three wickets in his first two overs, bowling a full length at a pace that was enough to beat the quickest of reflexes, he made his team's paltry 83 look much bigger, and for a moment, unreachable. And although India won the battle of the sub-continental rivals, praise for Amir's spell was the common denominator on both sides of the camp following the one-sided match.

Kohli was the man who resisted Amir, and during the presentation ceremony heaped praise on the speedster. “I would like to congratulate Mohammad Amir for the way he bowled, I actually congratulated him while he was bowling. It was amazing to play such a spell.”

The capacity crowd, expecting a cakewalk after Pakistan's innings, was electrified by Amir's energy because as Kohli's words shows, it is a privilege to see a fast bowler in his prime regardless of where one's allegiance lies.