Aaqib Javed gives a thumbs down to ‘spin vs pace’ debate

Multan, Jan 24 (PTI) Pakistan’s interim head coach and senior selector Aaqib Javed on Friday defended the strategy to prepare rank turners at home, saying if such tracks were prepared before, the team could have been in contention to make the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Pakistan beat England 2-1 at home and have already taken 1-0 lead in the ongoing series against the West Indies by winning the opening Test by 127 runs with spinners Abrar Ahmed and left-arm Noman Ali wreaking havoc.

“I am surprised by this debate. If we are able to win Test matches at home through our spinners, you say our cricket is regressing and if we win matches through pace bowlers you say our cricket is moving forward,” Aaqib told reporters.

“It is not the first time Pakistan has won by preparing spin matches. And definitely we should make spin tracks to take advantage of home conditions. We should have taken such decisions before and we would have been in the race in the ICC World Test Championship cycle.”

Aaqib said that everyone needed to understand that the eventual aim is to win matches as a team and it didn’t matter who starred be it batters, spinners or pacers.

“We need to become that team again where touring sides know it is not going to be easy in Pakistan and they will face big challenges. In recent times we have lost home series because we didn’t or couldn’t prepare pitches to suit our bowlers.”

The coach said that every team understands that the format of the WTC was such that they have to win their home series and a couple of games on away tours to become a candidate to play in final.

He noted that every country had pitches suited for their strength and cited example of South Africa where no Test match last the distance in the last few years, and many contests ended within three days.

The Pakistan coach also pointed out that on their recent tour to South Africa, they came close to winning the first Test through its all-pace attack but unfortunately couldn’t get the last two wickets.

“We didn’t play a spinner there so it is all about conditions and playing eleven is based on that.”

He said that he had been working with the bowlers in the team and even at domestic level to make them find again the art of reverse swing bowling on abrasive and spin tracks in the subcontinent.

“Our top bowlers in the past mostly used to rely heavily on reverse swing to win matches and also clean up the lower order of other teams. Unfortunately nowadays our bowlers are not able to do that and we are working on that.”