Test cricket is the real deal for Mohammad Aamer

In an era when several players of his ilk are contemplating giving up Test cricket to prolong their careers, Pakistan's latest fast-bowling sensation Mohammad Aamer has said that the longest version is the gold standard for him. "Test cricket is the real deal. I enjoy Twenty20 matches and one-dayers, but Test cricket is the number one priority for me," Aamer told www.PakPassion.net.

Aamer burst onto the Test scene during Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka last year and was impressive during the forgettable tour of Australia, where he picked a five-wicket haul in the Melbourne Test. He looks forward to having another go at the Australians in England later this year. "I'm very excited about the series in England; I cannot wait to face the hosts, and especially Australia," he said. "Pakistan start afresh against the Aussies and the previous series in Australia will be wiped from our minds."

The 18-year old seamer is eager to play as much as possible, and is not concerned about breathers in between tight schedules. "I don't like being rested for any matches. I want to play all of the time. I'm a young guy, I feel strong, I feel fit and I don't want to be rested. However I can understand the need for rest, but only want to be rested for dead rubbers."

Aamer's early exploits have already led to comparison to Pakistan's fast bowling greats, one of whom is his coach in the national side. Aamer is eager to pick up some tricks from Waqar Younis. "I enjoy working with Waqar, but its early days in our relationship, and I look forward to learning further from him. It's great that I can spend an extended period of time with him in the coming season when Pakistan has a lot of cricket," he said. "One area of my bowling for improvement that Waqar has mentioned to me is to get closer to the stumps, which will bring more lbws into the game for me."