'Lord's victory is motivation to do better at Leeds' — Mohammad Amir

Pakistan’s nine-wicket win over England at Lord's is motivation to do better in the second and final Test in Leeds, and seal the series, Mohammad Amir has said.

Pakistan, who came to England after registering a five-wicket win over Ireland in Dublin, read the English conditions better than the hosts.

They bowled wicket to wicket, full and straight deliveries, and allowed the ball to seam and swing. The effort was accompanied by good fielding. And with the batting clicking as well, Pakistan were ahead of England in all areas.

Amir, who returned match figures of 5/77, believed that Pakistan would need to further up their game to win the series.

"[England] are a very good side, they'll come hard at us, but we're also working hard," he said.

“The Lord's victory is a motivation for us, it gives us confidence, but we want to do better than that. We can't relax. We want to enjoy that but the attitude and confidence and discipline, it has to be double that of the last game.”

In 2017, Amir played six Tests — against Australia, the Windies and Sri Lanka — and snared 14 wickets. Although the wickets column doesn’t quite reflect how well he has bowled, this year he has the numbers on his side as well. In 2018, so far, the Pakistan paceman already has 10 wickets from two Tests against Ireland and England.

That is proof of how much he has improved. Amir said he had been working on improving his length with Azhar Mahmood, Pakistan's bowling coach.

"If you look at my past games, the length was a little short," he said. "I've worked with Azhar bhai in the nets to push my lengths, especially for Tests further up.

"When the ball swings you get wickets from a fuller length. So I was trying in the last two games to push the ball further and you can see the difference.

“It doesn't mean that if I've done well in two matches and am now sorted. I'm still learning about how well I can do by pushing the ball up.

"When you are tired it is difficult to push it further. But I believe you have to be ready as a professional for all situations.”

The last time Amir played a Test match in Leeds was in July 2010, against a Ricky Ponting-led Australia side. Pakistan won that Test by three wickets, with Amir picking up 7/106 in the match.

"That was eight years ago,” said Amir, brushing aside the memories. “Things that happened in the past, they're in the past.

“It's over. This is a new day, a new game. Eight years ago, cricket was completely different. It's a different team, a different system.”