Alastair Cook eager to ‘battle with’ Mohammad Amir

England veteran opening batsman Alastair Cook has expressed his desire to ‘battle with’ Pakistan’s premier fast bowler Mohammad Amir in the upcoming two Tests series.

“Amir is obviously their danger man and he's a very skillful bowler. I know Mohammad from his time at Essex. He's a very proud Essex player now and it'll be good to have that battle with him. When Pakistan were here in 2016 we played him pretty well and we've got to do the same this time around,” wrote Cook, quoted Sky Sports.

Speaking about the upcoming encounter with Pakistan at the historic venue of Lords, Cook said he is eager to play against the ‘mercurial Pakistan side’. “Lord's is a very special place and it doesn't matter how many times you've played, you always look forward to the week of a home Test match here, and this time we'll be up against a mercurial Pakistan side,” he said.

“They are very talented cricketers but it is a bit like the French rugby team back in the day, you're not quite sure which side is going to turn up. They're great front runners, they love getting their noses ahead and we've got to start well and not let that happen,” he added.

Earlier, Pakistan most successful Test batsman Younis Khan stated that the young Pakistan squad is skilled enough to ‘handle’ the conditions in England. “They will handle it. People have a lot of concerns about this [struggling to cope with the pressure] but I think they will be okay,” he said. “So, I think they will be able to handle these kinds of conditions and I think Pakistan is in a good shape as well, so I think this will be a nice series,” added Younis.

Pakistan will be facing England for the two Test series, with the first Test match scheduled at the historic Lord’s on May 24.