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Aamer most successful 18-year-old bowler
Pakistan paceman Mohammad Aamer became Test cricket's most successful 18-year-old bowler on Friday.
- Associated Press
- Updated: August 28, 2010 10:50 AM IST
Read Time: 3 min
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The left-arm seamer took six wickets on day two of the final Test at Lord's to induce another batting collapse by England and briefly put his team in a strong position for the win it needs to draw the four-Test series.
Pakistan squandered that advantage with some unfocused bowling and defensive field placings as Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad led a recovery to 346-7 by the close, but Aamer still demonstrated his potential -- and maturity in his reaction to the day's play.
"This is the first time I have taken six wickets at Lord's so it feels very special," Aamer said. "But in a way I'm a bit sad because they are in a good position after we were on top.
"We are on the back foot now."
Aamer has three wickets more than compatriot Waqar Younis managed before his 19th birthday 20 years ago.
Unlucky on day one when opener Alastair Cook successfully appealed an lbw decision to the third umpire, Aamer removed Cook with the third ball of the day and got rid of Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan in an opening spell of four wickets for no runs in eight balls.
He then ousted Matthew Prior and Graeme Swann after lunch to move on to 51 career wickets as England slumped from an overnight 39-1 to 102-7.
"When I started bowling today, I was swinging the ball both ways and that was why I was successful," Aamer said.
Aamer is the youngest player to reach 50 Test wickets and the youngest to make it on to the Lord's honors board, a status reserved for those who take five wickets or score a century at the ground.
At one stage, when Swann fell without scoring, Aamer was on remarkable match figures of 6-29 from 12.4 overs.
Aamer's 30 wickets in six Tests in England -- on a tour that included two matches against Australia -- continues his record of dangerous performances in all conditions in his 13-month Test career.
He took 6-112 on his debut in Sri Lanka, managed seven wickets in three matches in New Zealand and took a second-innings 5-79 to gut Australia's middle order in Melbourne in December.
His bowling Friday created only the fifth occasion in Test cricket that a team's No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 batsmen were all dismissed in the same innings without scoring -- and the first time it has ever happened to England.
Cook edged a good-length ball on off stump to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal to depart on his overnight score of 10, but Pietersen's dismissal had more to do with indiscipline as he wafted at a wide, unthreatening delivery to deflect to Akmal off his first ball.
Collingwood was out lbw to a ball that swung into him and would have hit the top of middle stump, although New Zealand umpire Billy Bowden initially ruled not out only for Pakistan to correctly activate one of their two allocated referrals.
Morgan also fell without scoring, edging another probing delivery from Aamer around off stump to second slip Yasir Hameed, who caught well at ankle height.
England's form batsman in the series, No. 7 Prior, had added 55 for the sixth wicket with Trott before he pushed forward at an Aamer ball outside off stump straight after lunch to be caught behind for 22.
Swann followed next ball, becoming the fourth man to fall without scoring when he drove Aamer loosely to Azhar Ali at gully.
Eight months short of his next birthday, Pakistan paceman Mohammad Aamer became Test cricket's most successful 18-year-old bowler on Friday with a devastating display of late swing against England.The left-arm seamer took six wickets on day two of the final Test at Lord's to induce another batting collapse by England and briefly put his team in a strong position for the win it needs to draw the four-Test series.
Pakistan squandered that advantage with some unfocused bowling and defensive field placings as Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad led a recovery to 346-7 by the close, but Aamer still demonstrated his potential -- and maturity in his reaction to the day's play.
"This is the first time I have taken six wickets at Lord's so it feels very special," Aamer said. "But in a way I'm a bit sad because they are in a good position after we were on top.
"We are on the back foot now."
Aamer has three wickets more than compatriot Waqar Younis managed before his 19th birthday 20 years ago.
Unlucky on day one when opener Alastair Cook successfully appealed an lbw decision to the third umpire, Aamer removed Cook with the third ball of the day and got rid of Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan in an opening spell of four wickets for no runs in eight balls.
He then ousted Matthew Prior and Graeme Swann after lunch to move on to 51 career wickets as England slumped from an overnight 39-1 to 102-7.
"When I started bowling today, I was swinging the ball both ways and that was why I was successful," Aamer said.
Aamer is the youngest player to reach 50 Test wickets and the youngest to make it on to the Lord's honors board, a status reserved for those who take five wickets or score a century at the ground.
At one stage, when Swann fell without scoring, Aamer was on remarkable match figures of 6-29 from 12.4 overs.
Aamer's 30 wickets in six Tests in England -- on a tour that included two matches against Australia -- continues his record of dangerous performances in all conditions in his 13-month Test career.
He took 6-112 on his debut in Sri Lanka, managed seven wickets in three matches in New Zealand and took a second-innings 5-79 to gut Australia's middle order in Melbourne in December.
His bowling Friday created only the fifth occasion in Test cricket that a team's No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 batsmen were all dismissed in the same innings without scoring -- and the first time it has ever happened to England.
Cook edged a good-length ball on off stump to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal to depart on his overnight score of 10, but Pietersen's dismissal had more to do with indiscipline as he wafted at a wide, unthreatening delivery to deflect to Akmal off his first ball.
Collingwood was out lbw to a ball that swung into him and would have hit the top of middle stump, although New Zealand umpire Billy Bowden initially ruled not out only for Pakistan to correctly activate one of their two allocated referrals.
Morgan also fell without scoring, edging another probing delivery from Aamer around off stump to second slip Yasir Hameed, who caught well at ankle height.
England's form batsman in the series, No. 7 Prior, had added 55 for the sixth wicket with Trott before he pushed forward at an Aamer ball outside off stump straight after lunch to be caught behind for 22.
Swann followed next ball, becoming the fourth man to fall without scoring when he drove Aamer loosely to Azhar Ali at gully.
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