Cricket in Pakistan sits atop such an exalted perch that the analogies which follow should be taken as only slightly exaggerated.

Who is better known: Napoleon or Wellington? Rommel or Montgomery? Mohammed Aamir or the New Zealand cricket team? There is something about a valiant effort in the face of insurmountable adversity that is tremendously appealing. Seventeen-year-old Mohammed Amir’s unbeaten 73 may not have taken Pakistan to a series victory but he achieved more than winning just a single match. He gave us hope where we had none, he entertained us  for over an hour when we thought there was nothing left to celebrate and he allowed us to steal a glimpse of a future that may not be as bleak as we once feared.

The Wasim Akram comparisons will crescendo but we should be careful not to believe the hype (says the person who just compared Aamir to Napoleon and Rommel). Rather, we should look eastwards for a cautionary tale. It was not that long ago that India discovered a genuinely quick left-arm bowler who was equally adept with the bat. It took only a couple of series for him to become a bona-fide celebrity. He was over-bowled and shunted up and down the batting order willy-nilly. An injury or two later he lost his pace, confidence and place in the team. He is now a medium pacer and pinch hitter — someone who can both bat and bowl but is the master of neither. Let us make sure that Mohammed Aamir is not the next Irfan Pathan.

Aamir is already our best new-ball bowler so he should continue opening the bowling. Certainly he should move up the order. But let’s not repeat the mistake we previously made with Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik et al. Just because Aamir can bat doesn’t make him a contender for opening batsman. It doesn’t even make him a top six batsman. We should be satisfied, even delighted, if he develops into a bowling all rounder.

Protect Mohammed Aamir and our matches may no longer feel like reenactments of Waterloo.