Akhtar applauds Amir's mind games

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar heaped praise on Quetta Gladiators' veteran pacer Mohammad Amir for 'mentally dominating' Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam during their HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10 match here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.

Akhtar, while speaking at a digital sports show, praised Amir for his mental edge over Babar which eventually resulted in him dismissing the star batter twice in this year's PSL.

Akhtar shared it was a joy to watch Amir's bowling after a long time, stating that the pacer was playing his 'own match' within the enthralling fixture between the two powerhouses.

"Babar was struggling to even see the ball properly - the deliveries were either hitting his head or his body - and it was clear that Mohammad Amir was well aware of Babar's weaknesses," he remarked.

"Amir was dominating Babar mentally. While the crowd was chanting 'Babar, Babar' around the ground, Amir was quietly playing his own match within the match," Akhtar added.

Akhtar further suggested that Babar should have taken his time to settle down as the pitch required 'patience'.

"Babar should have taken a little more time to settle and adapted his batting according to the conditions, as the pitch was difficult and required patience," Akhtar shared.

The 49-year-old also claimed that even if it had been any other Pakistani batter facing such bowling, they would not have been able to handle it either.

He emphasised that when there is even a little swing, Babar Azam tends to struggle.

Akhtar praised Amir's aggressive and attacking approach in the match, saying it doubled the enjoyment of the game.

The legendary pacer then went on to claim that Zalmi would not be able to chase down even a modest total against such disciplined bowling performance.

"If Peshawar Zalmi had been chasing a small target, they would still not have been able to achieve it against this kind of bowling," Akhtar claimed.

"It is matches like these that make cricket exciting to watch," he concluded.

Fawad Alam on Sunday, also heaped praise on Quetta Gladiators' veteran pacer Mohammad Amir, terming him the 'most intelligent' bowler of the country.

"As far as Amir's ability is concerned, there's no comparison. He is one of the best and the smartest bowlers we have had [in a long time]," Alam said.

"After Mohammad Asif - I mean after the early 2000s when we had big names - the two premier pacers we had were Asif and then Mohammad Amir.

"I believe after Amir, we did not get many smarter bowlers. Skill is something every player who represents Pakistan has. But intelligence - that's rare."