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Mohammad Amir, once the spearhead of the Pakistan pace attack, has struggled with form even after being given a fairly long rope by the hopeful national selectors. His decline has been one
of the talking points for the side as they build up to the World Cup in England. In 21 months, Amir has managed to bag only five wickets in101 overs at an average of 92.60 and a strike rate
of 121 in the 50-overformat. Going by that strike-rate, he will be wicketless in the next twomatches he plays. Add to that the fact that he has taken a three-fer only fourtimes in ODIs since
his return in January 2016, which does not help his causein any way. For the first time, coach Mickey Arthur is not sure ofAmir’s place in the squad for the World Cup. “Amir’s form is a
worry and nobody is more worried thanAmir. I still think he is an incredibly skilled bowler and has all theattributes to be successful,” Arthur said. “Amir has got a big match temperament
and we will seehow we use him going forward.” Amir returned without a wicket and was themost expensive bowler against Australia in the first of five ODIs after whichhe was left out, and is
unlikely to play any part in the rest of the series. Amir’s reputation of a big match player took a massive dent last year when he performed dismally in the Asia Cup and was overlooked for
the ‘home season’. This forced him back to the domestic circuit where he played a handful of games for Sui Southern Gas Company. Going forward, the future is not very bright for Amir as
Pakistan continue to add muscle to their pace battery with the likes of Mohammad Hasnain, Junaid Khan and Usman Shinwari all looking to push their way into the World Cup squad. With
ShaheenAfridi and Hasan Ali counted as the mainstays ofthe pace attack, the chances of Amir playing in his maiden 50-over World Cuplooks bleak.