0-4 loss to St. Louis. "It might seem like my (pitches) flattened out

Mohammad Amir has worked hard to regain his place in the Pakistan team after his spot-fixing ban, says Saj Sadiq of Pak.Passion.net, and is now ready to dazzle in England… Six years of playing international cricket for any cricketer is a chance to propel him from oblivion to stardom and can place him on the path to legendary status.Take the same six years out of playing time, for a fast-bowler in particular, and you can end up with a shadow of the original article. The term evergreen could well be used for batsmen, but fast-bowlers grow and mature with every performance; match time is everything.Mohammad Amir last played Test cricket in August 2010. He was the subject of an elaborate sting operation by a newspaper and rightly paid for his greed. From being considered an heir to Wasim Akram for his brilliant brand of left-arm fast-bowling, Amir overnight became an object of hatred for many followers of cricket around the world.He endured jail time and a five-year ban from all forms of cricket during which, in his own words, he wondered if he would ever be allowed to or have the will to touch a cricket ball again.While many in his position would have given up or wallowed in self-pity, Amir decided to take a different route to resurrect his career. Whether this was driven by sound marketing advice or an inner desire to right the wrongs to allow a route back to the game he loved with his heart, no one will never know. Mohammad Amir began his comeback playing club cricket What is clear is that as the five-year ban approached its expiry, Amir began a charm offensive such as visiting hospitals and delivering lectures to help in ICCs fight against corruption which would have profound effects on his future return to the fold.Aided and possibly influenced by open sympathy from big names in cricket such as Imran Khan, Michael Holding and Michael Atherton, the ICC ceded to the Pakistan Cricket Boards request to allow the young fast-bowler to play in domestic cricket ahead of the official expiry of the ban.Once again, with maturity that seemed to be beyond his years, Amir decided to shun all talk of any future plans and instead started with playing club, then Grade 2, domestic cricket.With Pakistans fast-bowling reserves showing no real sign of improvement since the loss of Amir and Mohammad Asif in 2010, it must have been clear to the young fast-bowler that he had a real opportunity to regain a place in the international team. All he had to do was to practice hard and do justice to his talent. Amir celebrates a wicket during the World T20 in India Selection for the Bangladesh Premier League followed by the Pakistan Super League were God-given opportunities for Amir to re-establish himself in the psyche of a cricket-mad nation and he wasted no time in achieving that objective.Many of the fans around the world who had loathed Amir in 2010 were now baying for his return, as it was becoming clear to many that a talent such as his was not likely to emerge again in this generation of players and his misdemeanour was being forgiven with the passage of time by the majority of fans and media.Amirs bowling talent was never in question, just his temperament, but he wasted no time in showing the world glimpses of what made him so special up to 2010.While his cricket was making steady progress, the same could not be said about acceptance by his peers, many of whom were still traumatised with memories of past events, and when the matter of his inclusion for an international series against New Zealand came up, there was opposition from some big names. Virat Kohli gifted Amir a bat during the World T20 earlier this year The PCB, to its credit, decided to act with authority and settled the matter to ensure that Amir was now an accepted member of the international squad.The Asia Cup and the World Twenty20 tournaments once again put Amir in the limelight and he emerged unscathed with his reputation as a fast-bowler further enhanced with comments of appreciation from Indias Virat Kohli. The resurrection of Amir was in full progress and the next target, the series against England, was looming ahead.The PCB by this time had also realised the importance of Amir to its ultimate aims of success for the Pakistan team and with support from the newly appointed Chief Selector, Inzamam-ul-Haq, wasted no time in ensuring that the fast-bowler was prepared and ready for the tour of England.If there were any worries about Amirs suitability for the tough Test series ahead, they were soon laid to rest as he cleared all fitness tests with flying colours, with his UK Visa turning out to be the only hurdle to his inclusion in the squad; his talent and commitment were never in question. Amir took just five overs to get among the wickets on his return to England with Pakistan against Somerset Amir played his first game on English soil since August 2010 against Somerset at Taunton. He ran in and calmly took out three top-order wickets with consummate but trademark ease. To many who watched this display of fine bowling, the young magician of almost six years ago was back in business.The rhythm, movement and speed all in place and delivered with the same verve which made him a household name. A collective sigh of relief by many of his backers and fans was rather understandable as was a degree of unease by the opposition at someone who may easily dictate the outcome of the upcoming series. Wahab Riaz told Sky Sports that he believes Amir can handle the pressure when he makes his return to Lords for the first Test against England There will be a few angry faces and some moist eyes when Amir walks on to the field at Lords on July 14. Some will ask why a man who brought disrepute to the game has been welcomed back with open arms at the home of cricket, but there will be others who will utter a prayer of thanks to be given a chance to witness the re-birth of potentially one of the best bowlers of his generation.Amir, like he did in 2010, has it all in his hands. His fans and admirers hope that his performances in England this summer will be remembered for what he does with the ball and not what he does with his front foot.Watch Englands first Test against Pakistan, from Lords, from 10am, Thursday, Sky Sports 2. Also See: Wahab ready for England test Pakistan v England: Story of 2015 Pakistan fixtures/results Get Sky Sports Sergio Romo Twins Jersey . The 40-year-old midfielder was put in charge on Tuesday when David Moyes reign ended after 10 months with the defending champions in seventh place in the English Premier League. Twins Jerseys 2019 . -- The Chiefs have signed seven players to reserve/future contracts, including running back Joe McKnight, a former fourth-round pick of the New York Jets. https://www.cheaptwins.com/272t-c-j-cron-jersey-twins.html . Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel also accused Pistorius of tailoring his testimony to fit the evidence at the scene. Pistorius denied the accusations. Nel alleged that the Olympic runner changed his aim with his 9 mm pistol to ensure that he hit Steenkamp as she fell back against a magazine rack in a toilet cubicle. Nick Gordon Twins Jersey Paul Molitor Jersey . -- Ben Brust scored 19 points to lead six Wisconsin players in double figures as the No. CHICAGO -- Homer Bailey doesnt even need to be at his best to win at Wrigley Field. Bailey pitched six scoreless innings in a friendly ballpark for his first win of the season and Jay Bruce homered and doubled as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 8-2 on Sunday. "He hasnt been his normal dominant self, but his slider has gotten a lot better," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "Its a pitch that hes worked on for a long time. It seems like that pitch has really turned a corner and got him some big outs today." Bailey (1-1) struck out eight while allowing six hits and three walks. He came into the game with 8.16 ERA after signing a big extension in the off-season with Cincinnati. Zack Cozart hit a two-run homer for Cincinnati, which took two of three this weekend from the Cubs and has won 17 of 19 games at Wrigley Field. The Reds have won 10 straight when Bailey faces the Cubs. He is 7-0 in his last 10 outings against Chicago and 5-0 in his past six at Wrigley Field. The Reds are averaging 6 1/2 runs a game in Bailey starts. "It seems like every time I take the mound the bats show up. Im just glad I was finally able to help them out," said Bailey. The Cubs have lost six of seven. Carlos Villanueva (1-4) was tagged for five runs and nine hits in 4 2-3 innings. With two outs in the fourth, Devin Mesoraco and Cozart hit back-to-back RBI doubles to take a 2-0 lead. Mesoraco has a hit in all nine games hes played this season and leads the team in RBIs with 11. He missed the first week of the season with a strained oblique. Later in the inning, Bailey helped himself with an RBI single to extend the lead to 3-0. "Both times were in trouble with two outs and its the big leagues, youve got to put them away," Villanueva said. "When you give a team like that, an offensive team, a chance to throw a ccouple runs on the board theyll take advantage of it.dddddddddddd." Mesoraco finished with three hits. "Little League, rec ball, whatever it is. This is definitely the hottest Ive ever been," Mesoraco said. Todd Frazier added an RBI double and Ryan Ludwick a run-scoring single off Villanueva in the fifth inning. Villanueva wasnt much better than his previous start at St. Louis. He gave up a career-high nine runs over three-plus innings in a 10-4 loss to St. Louis. "It might seem like my (pitches) flattened out. I didnt really feel tired, but, you know, obviously the stuff wasnt as crisp," said Villanueva. "I thought I had good stuff, a lot better plan today (than my last start). Just, you know, one pitch away those two innings, you know, two outs you got to be able to (finish)." Cubs reliever Jose Veras served up Bruces leadoff shot in the seventh and Cozarts two-run shot two outs later. The Cubs didnt score until the seventh, getting a pair of RBI singles from Ryan Sweeney and Nate Schierholtz off reliever Manny Parra. Parra was lifted with one out and the bases loaded. Sam LeCure entered and got Welington Castillo to ground into a double play. NOTES: Ludwick was back in the lineup after missing Saturdays game with a bruised left big toe sustained when he fouled a pitch off his foot on Friday. Price said Ludwick was held out because of concerns about his ability to run and cut defensively. ... Reds RHP Mike Leake (2-1, 2.95) is scheduled to face Pirates LHP Francisco Liriano (0-3, 3.96) to open a four-game series in Pittsburgh on Monday at 7:05 p.m. ... The Cubs kick off a four-game home series against Arizona on Monday at 7:05 p.m. with LHP Travis Wood (0-2, 3.00) scheduled to start against RHP Bronson Arroyo (1-1, 9.95). ... Villanueva struck out seven. ' ' '