In the second part of an interview with PakPassion.net, former Pakistan chief selector and leg spinning legend Abdul Qadir stated that he feels that whilst Asif has been the main weapon in the bowling department for Pakistan in New Zealand, it will be Aamer that will be the key bowler in Australia.
by Saj Sadiq
6th December 2009
In the second part of an interview with PakPassion.net, former Pakistan chief selector and leg spinning legend Abdul Qadir stated that he feels that whilst Asif has been the main weapon in the bowling department for Pakistan in New Zealand, it will be Aamer that will be the key bowler in Australia.
"Conditions in New Zealand are ideal for Asif and of course he has the ability to seam the ball both ways on those pitches. You could say that Asif is the ideal bowler for New Zealand pitches. However when it comes to pitches in Australia, the extra pace of Aamer will be vital. I feel you need that extra yard of pace as a quick bowler, to perform well in Australia" stated Qadir.
Qadir further added "Aamer needs to be looked after on the tour of Australia, as its not an easy place to tour. The Aussies will target the young left armer and its very important that whoever the Pakistan captain is, looks after the youngster and handles him well " stated Qadir.
Qadir continued "Asif, Aamer, Gul and Kaneria is a nicely balanced first choice bowling attack for test cricket and as backups to these bowlers for the test series I would select Yasir Arafat and Wahab Riaz for Australia. I would take Wahab ahead of Abdur Rauf, as Wahab has genuine pace and he had a good tour of Australia with the Pakistan "A" team. Its time for some more young legs in the bowling department and Rauf is not a good choice as far as I am concerned. He's been largely ineffective and I don't think he will give the Australian batsmen too many sleepless nights".
Qadir added "Its an important tour for Umar Gul also, as he is now an experienced bowler and Pakistan will be looking to him to deliver consistency in the wickets department".
When asked about whether Pakistan should take 2 spinners for the test series in Australia, Qadir feels that Kaneria is the best option for tests. "Ajmal is a fine bowler, but I would retain him for the one day version of the game and select Danish Kaneria for the test matches. Danish is an experienced bowler and I think he could be very effective in Australia".
