Aamer needs to gain weight - Akram

Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan fast bowler, has said the 17-year-old left-arm seamer Mohammad Aamer needs to put on weight to add more power to his bowling.

Aamer, a protégé of Akram, who called for his selection to the national side in July last year, made his international debut in the World Twenty20 and took six wickets at a strike-rate of 24 from seven matches. He played a crucial role in the final, dismissing Tillakaratne Dilshan for a duck in the first over.

"I spotted him [Aamer] along with Mudassar Nazar and Aaqib Javed two years ago at a training camp," Akram said. "He played for Pakistan under-19 and now he is opening the attack. He is definitely promising.

"For someone who can consistently bowl at 90 miles an hour, Aamer is definitely cut out for pace bowling. He will get more wickets with the Kookaburra ball. He has a natural outswinger. With a Kookaburra, he will get the ball to come in and that will be even more deadly."

Aamer has said Akram is his role model and though he was born two weeks after the 1992 World Cup, he said he had watched videos of his idol and was attracted to cricket through him.

In his maiden first-class season, Aamer took 56 wickets in 10 matches for Rawalpindi. He also picked up 15 wickets in List A games and was selected for the Bangladesh tour which got postponed.

Akram said if Aamer maintained his fitness then Sohail Tanvir, whom he replaced in the side, would struggle to make his way back.