waquas_uk
7th October 2005, 12:48
Pakistan believe they can capitalise on the absence of injured Simon Jones in the forthcoming series against England.
Pace bowler Jones was seen as a big threat to Pakistan, but will miss the tour in order to undergo ankle surgery.
"He was the one bowler who really mastered the art of bowling reverse swing in the Ashes series.
"Any bowler who can reverse swing the ball at good pace can be very difficult to face on our tracks," said Pakistan vice-captain Younis Khan.
"It is good for us and bad for England."
Jones took 18 wickets in four Tests against Australia during the summer and his absence means England will have to rely more heavily on fellow pacemen Steve Harmison, Andrew Flintoff and Matthew Hoggard.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifJones ruled out of Pakistan tour (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/4310054.stm)
Batsman Asim Kamal agreed with Younis's assessment of Jones, saying: "He took the key wickets against Australia and formed a good pair with Andrew Flintoff with the old ball."
Pakistan, meanwhile, are expecting a large contingent of England supporters to follow the team on tour.
"We expect four times more than the usual number of guests and fans.
"At the moment we can't give the exact number, but we are liaising with the England and Wales Cricket Board and Pakistan's High Commission in England.
"We are finalising our preparations to be worthy hosts, " said ," said Abbas Zaidi, the Pakistan Cricket Board's director of operations.
"Ticket sales are likely to start next week through the internet and banks, so the ball is already rolling."
The International Cricket Council have appointed Simon Taufel, Billy Bowden, Darrell Hair and Rudi Koertzen as umpires for the Test series, with Sri Lankan Roshan Mahanama acting as match referee. Taufel and Bowden will stand in the first Test in Multan, Taufel and Hair in the second in Faisalabad, and Hair and Koertzen in the final game in Lahore
Pace bowler Jones was seen as a big threat to Pakistan, but will miss the tour in order to undergo ankle surgery.
"He was the one bowler who really mastered the art of bowling reverse swing in the Ashes series.
"Any bowler who can reverse swing the ball at good pace can be very difficult to face on our tracks," said Pakistan vice-captain Younis Khan.
"It is good for us and bad for England."
Jones took 18 wickets in four Tests against Australia during the summer and his absence means England will have to rely more heavily on fellow pacemen Steve Harmison, Andrew Flintoff and Matthew Hoggard.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifJones ruled out of Pakistan tour (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/4310054.stm)
Batsman Asim Kamal agreed with Younis's assessment of Jones, saying: "He took the key wickets against Australia and formed a good pair with Andrew Flintoff with the old ball."
Pakistan, meanwhile, are expecting a large contingent of England supporters to follow the team on tour.
"We expect four times more than the usual number of guests and fans.
"At the moment we can't give the exact number, but we are liaising with the England and Wales Cricket Board and Pakistan's High Commission in England.
"We are finalising our preparations to be worthy hosts, " said ," said Abbas Zaidi, the Pakistan Cricket Board's director of operations.
"Ticket sales are likely to start next week through the internet and banks, so the ball is already rolling."
The International Cricket Council have appointed Simon Taufel, Billy Bowden, Darrell Hair and Rudi Koertzen as umpires for the Test series, with Sri Lankan Roshan Mahanama acting as match referee. Taufel and Bowden will stand in the first Test in Multan, Taufel and Hair in the second in Faisalabad, and Hair and Koertzen in the final game in Lahore