Amin hopes to fill Misbah, Younus’ shoes

Left-handed batsman wants to prove his worth through his performances

Pakistan’s left-handed batsman Umar Amin, riding on the back of two centuries in the recently concluded 50-over domestic tournament, the Pakistan Cup, believes he can fill the space left by Pakistan Test captain Misbahul Haq and veteran batsman Younus Khan when the duo call time on their careers after the West Indies series.

27-year-old Amin, who has represented Pakistan in only four Tests since his five-day debut in 2010, says he is ready to step into the position of any one of the veterans.

When asked if he can fill in for Misbah and Younus, Amin told PakPassion: “I don’t see why not! I have never doubted myself about the fact that I cannot take the place of any top batsmen such as Misbah or Younus in the team. I have the ability to do that purely based upon my performances and that is indeed my goal which is to prove my utility through my performances and to have what it takes to step into the position of anyone of these distinguished batsmen.”

‘Stronger than before’

Despite promising a lot, Amin was not able to make an impact in the national team during his 15-ODI and 10-T20I stint; however, the southpaw says that he has worked on his weaknesses and is now much better and stronger than before.

“I had some issues with my fitness and strength because of which I would solely rely on my timings for my shots,” revealed Amin. “Given that international cricket has become very fast-paced and some amount of power-hitting is needed, I put in some effort in that aspect and the results were clear in my performances in the Pakistan Cup. In the three innings that I played, I hit twelve sixes which is the most number of sixes in the Pakistan Cup which clearly demonstrates that I am now able to step up a gear and play the big shots when needed.”

What more has changed? “The other change I have made is to play with a free mind. Whenever I go to bat, I calmly assess the situation and the pitch and try to keep things as simple as possible. The idea is to adapt to the circumstances and then play with confidence.”