Teenage paceman Mohammad Aamer was at the top of his game in England, writes Jesse Hogan in Leeds.
After taking his maiden five-wicket haul during last year's Boxing Day Test, Mohammad Aamer was asked a question regularly aimed at new Pakistani players: was his date of birth of accurate?
''I'm 17. Any doubt? Look at my shoulders and wrist - [I'm a] little boy,'' he insisted.
The main reason for the scepticism was his ability, at an age most elite Australian juniors cannot even make their state side, to trouble some of the world's top batsmen. Eight months on, his improvement has continued apace, to the extent that the issue of his age is nowhere near as relevant as the issue of where he ranks among the world's best pacemen. Aamer claimed four wickets in the first innings of the series and, excepting an underwhelming performance in the second Australian innings at Lord's, rivalled his new-ball partner Mohammad Asif as the standout bowler of the series, finishing with a series-leading 11 wickets alongside Asif and all-rounder Shane Watson.
When Ricky Ponting looked in ominously good form after leading Australia's batting fightback in the second innings at Headingley, it was Aamer who claimed the captain, along with Mike Hussey and Marcus North, in a devastating 45-minute spell at the start of day three to reinforce Pakistan's ascendancy. It was also Aamer who hastened Australia's day-one collapse by bowling Steve Smith and Mitchell Johnson with the first two balls after lunch.
Ponting is renowned for being measured when praising opponents, yet when it came to discussing the 18-year-old, Ponting was overwhelmingly positive.
''Aamer continues to improve,'' he said. ''I think he's not only got good pace up his sleeve and an ability to swing the ball but I think he actually thinks about the game really smartly as well. He seems to be a lot more mature than what his age would probably suggest as far as bowling's concerned.''
Across the two Tests against Australia, Aamer managed to match the feats of Asif, the world's No.2 bowler according to ICC rankings. Both claimed 11 wickets from almost the same number of overs - 75.5 to Aamer, 76.1 to Asif - and finished with remarkably similar averages - 22.27 to Aamer, 23 to Asif.
Pakistan captain Salman Butt said he was ''very fortunate'' to lead a team with such an effective new-ball attack. ''I think if not the world's best they are among the top two or three,'' he said. ''Mohammad Aamer is definitely among the world's best fast bowlers. Even Mohammad Asif, with the new ball, I think is the best fast bowler that I've seen for a long time, especially after Glenn McGrath.''
Aamer's form has led to comparisons with his idol, Wasim Akram. Aamer's record of 32 wickets at 35.46 is not a patch on Akram's 34 wickets at 23.53 from the same period. A possible explanation for that - acknowledged by Akram last week - was that while Aamer is 18 years and three months old, the now-retired champion left-arm paceman did not make his debut until he was 18 and seven months.
Whichever way you fall on the argument of who was better at the same age, Aamer's performances at Lord's and Headingley mean that question can legitimately be asked.
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