Asif Bajwa remembers that chilling night in November 2011, when he heard the fateful words that his protégé, Mohammed Amir, was going to prison.
“My mother gave birth to my daughter “(We were in mourning),” Bajwa told The Indian Express over phone from Rawalpindi.
Pakistan cricket’s golden boy had crossed a sacred line in the birthplace of cricket and now faced the consequences. But despite a three-month prison sentence and five-year sports ban that many in Pakistan hoped would last a lifetime, Amir’s coach and childhood mentor did not hesitate to declare: “He will be back.”
It has been eight years since Amir made his “comeback”, four since he announced his retirement from international cricket, 13 years and what makes Bajwa even more surprised is that after all this, the left-arm fast bowler will once again don the green jersey of Pakistan in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
“It’s even more shocking to us that he has been asked to come out of retirement in 2024. I feel they are not adequately prepared. They don’t have the bowlers.” Javi will never forget that. “(That is how the situation turned out)…otherwise why did they call him?” Bajwa slammed Pakistan cricket decision makers.
His recollection of the events of the past 15 years offers a glimpse into the career of perhaps Pakistan’s most quintessential fast bowler – the fast bowler who was destined to surpass Imran Khan and Wasim Akram, as predicted by the latter himself, and who almost singlehandedly delivered Pakistan’s two greatest victories of the 21st century – the 2009 T20 World Cup and the 2017 Champions Trophy triumph over India.
But as is often the case in a nation of restless people, the highest joys are matched by the lowest sorrows. Amir’s career could have ended prematurely on multiple occasions, and when he announced his retirement in 2020 it felt like he was gone for good. But then a new chapter followed, with him returning once again on a new stage: the World Cup.
What has enabled one of the most talked about bowlers of the three-format era to remain relevant for so long?
Critics
“I have paid for that big mistake.”
Speaking to cameras at a press conference after his return to the national team earlier this month, Amir said it was time to end the match-fixing scandal.
However, when he returned home for the first time after serving his sentence in a British prison in 2012, all that was talked about was Amir’s involvement in cricket cheating.
“I messed up,” the 20-year-old said in his first interview since his release from Dorset Prison, speaking to former England captain Michael Atherton on Sky Sports.
The then PCB chairman, Zaka Ashraf, had assured Amir that he would return to the national team once his suspension was over, but there were many voices opposing this.
But Amir’s “teacher” wouldn’t let him listen to anything.
“Hum aapko in cheese se nikal sakte hai “(We can get you out of this situation),” Bajwa told him. “We had already started thinking about the future.”
Bajwa, the coach and mentor, immediately initiated a return-to-play protocol for his son. As Amir did not have access to PCB facilities, Bajwa took him outside the facility to train him in bowling and fielding. With no professional cricketers, Amir’s financial situation had worsened. To ease the strain on his wallet, Bajwa called up a friend in Lahore and allowed the fast bowler to use his gym.
Bajwa’s behind-the-scenes efforts paid off when the PCB agreed to reinstate Amir to the national team as his suspension neared the end, but the criticism soon followed.
The message was clear: Amir was no longer welcome in the dressing room.
ODI captain Azhar Ali has refused to attend the team camp and offered to step down if Amir is included, as has all-rounder Mohammed Hafeez.
“The best thing about Amir during that time was Gileshikwe (He did not say it was foul play),” Bajwa said.
Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja, who coincidentally was in the commentary booth during the infamous Lord’s Test in 2010, was also strongly against Amir’s inclusion in the national team. “If I had the say on the matter, I would never let him play again,” Raja said. Raja took over as PCB chairman for 2021-2022 but his opinion on Amir has not changed and seems to have become even more bitter in 2024, with the former PCB chairman recently stating, “If my son had done such a thing, I would have disowned him.”
But back in 2016, Pakistan cricket needed Amir and welcomed him warmly, something Bajwa says was driven by desperation on the part of the selectors, which ultimately led to Amir’s premature retirement in 2020.
Return
“Don’t use me like that. Kuch kaas kaas match my pretty (Play me only in selected games)
It was a conversation Amir had with Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach at the time, Bajwa reveals. As a pacer who had been out of international cricket for five years in his early 20s, it wasn’t the conversation he was expecting, but it was one he needed.
In 2016, Amir’s return to international cricket, no other Pakistan pacer played more games than him, and his 502 overs were second only to Josh.
Hazelwood’s 575 and Trent Boult’s 504.
“This is what happens when you are not well prepared,” Bajwa said. “When the bowling attack is not perfect, the work is concentrated on one guy. What about the work of the other bowlers? Amir had to suffer for it. He had asked the team not to put so much strain on his body. There were four Test matches against England and he had asked the team to rest him for the third match. The team played Amir in all four matches.”
Talks between the player and the management came to a head in 2019. “He had told them that he only wanted to play white-ball cricket. ‘I can’t even carry my body for the red ball’. But the management was adamant. They had made up their minds about him. ‘Why is he telling us this?’ ‘If he doesn’t play the red ball, he won’t even be able to play limited overs’. He was forced to retire.”
It was an ugly break-up, but it made Amir a stronger person. Bajwa praised Amir for keeping to himself despite being called a loser by society, and he has since changed for the better.
Changing attitudes
“If you want to play for Pakistan, you have to play alongside Babar. Can you look him in the eye and play?”
Last year, Shahid Afridi spoke out on Pakistani television about a text message he had sent to Amir reprimanding him for his behaviour towards the national team captain. The incident took place during a Pakistan Super League match, when Amir had been smashed with a brilliant cover drive and then, from the ensuing defensive effort, tipped the ball in Babar’s direction.
“Concentrate on your performance, reduce your aggression and return home peacefully,” advised the former Pakistan captain.
When ARY News interviewed Amir, he narrated a slightly different version and did not hesitate to reveal his side of the story.
“(Afridi) just complimented my bowling and asked about the injury. But there was nothing in his text like ‘how will you face Babar’. What harm did I cause Babar? Or vice versa? I found it very strange. He talks a bit fast so maybe he said it by mistake.”
But speaking out was never a part of Amir’s personality, Bajwa believes; it was something he acquired over the years. “This change in him has happened over the years. He doesn’t listen to anyone’s badmouthing. If someone tries to challenge him, he always reacts.”
When it comes to aggression on the field, Amir’s coach is confident that his protégé is neither the first nor the last Pakistan pacer to embody aggression in a positive way. So is a former Pakistan captain who coached Amir and is familiar with Pakistan’s pace culture wrong to criticise Amir for being aggressive?
“They should understand these things. Shoaib Akhtar’s attitude was part of him. This is what talent management is all about. This is part of a coach’s job.” The coach didn’t do anything for you.(A coach’s job is not just to teach players how to hold a bat.) You have to accept the players’ habits and personalities. Your job is centered on the players’ performance. It’s about results, not getting too involved in the players’ private lives.”
Bajwa’s comments also come in the wake of rumours which began after it was confirmed that Amir would be coming out of retirement for this year’s T20 World Cup.
The pacer, who worked as a TV commentator during last year’s ODI World Cup, had criticised the team, including captain Babar’s tactics. Will there be any awkwardness now that Amir will be sharing the dressing room with Babar and co.?
“These things are not wrong. But in our country, we are perceiving it in a wrong way. This should not happen. If someone is telling the truth, no matter how harsh it is, we will not take it positively,” Bajwa said.
“He only spoke about your cricket and not your personality. Problems arise when it becomes personal. Don’t think this will lead to tension in the dressing room.” Humans are much more than humans, and some of them are much more than humans.” he added.
Another World Cup dream
“We’ve missed out on a lot of things. Pakistan Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty (It also hit Pakistan hard.)
Bajwa regrets the nine years her child missed out on.
Questions have been raised about Amir’s selection for the T20 World Cup given his training in domestic cricket. Amir recently responded to this by saying, “People ask me what is the most important T20 event in Pakistan. It’s the PSL. And both of us (Imad) have played and excelled in the PSL and are also regulars in other leagues. What problem would there be in selecting us for the T20 format?”
In the last two seasons of the PSL, Amir has taken 19 wickets in 16 matches. Since being selected in Pakistan’s T20I squad this year, the left-hander has picked up five wickets in six matches.
With the return of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf to the team – all of whom helped Pakistan reach the final of the last T20 World Cup – could the 32-year-old Bajwa be expected to perform well this season? Bajwa shares what Amir told him when he returned to the national team after a four-year hiatus.
“Pakistan will win the World Cup“Now that I’m back, my only goal is to win the World Cup for Pakistan, no matter what.”
