Pakistan spinners will leave South Africa reeling: Whatmore

LAHORE: Struggling Pakistan are primed to catch South Africa out by laying on a “spin trap” during the two-Test series in the United Arab Emirates, coach Dav Whatmore warned on Tuesday.
“Our players... want to avenge the 3-0 defeat we had at the start of the year in South Africa. We lost in South Africa because our players were not prepared for the pitches there and the pace and movement they offered,” Whatmore told reporters as his team prepared for the series which begins on Oct. 14.
“But conditions in UAE will be different and we know them well and they suit us. Spin tracks are a option for us and we will go by our strength and we have couple of quality spinners in our side.” Pakistan’s fortunes suffered a further dip when they were outclassed by lowly Zimbabwe in Harare last month — a result which dropped them to sixth in the Test rankings and led some pundits to declare the team had hit rock bottom.
With Whatmore under increasing pressure to halt the slump, he pointed out that Pakistan’s inability to host matches on home soil since March 2009 — when the Sri Lankan team were attacked in Lahore — has robbed the former Asian powerhouse of precious playing time.
The two-test, five one-day and two-match Twenty20 series is being played in neutral UAE after the South Africans refused to tour Pakistan because of security concerns.
“With no international teams coming to Pakistan and no regular A team tours our younger players are not getting the exposure to develop and we need to do something to plug the gap between our domestic cricket and international cricket,” Whatmore said.
Wily spinner Saeed Ajmal urged his Pakistan team to demolish the world’s best Test side South Africa, just like they did England last year.
Pakistan routed England — then rated the best Test team — 3-0 in the United Arab Emirates and face another big challenge in the two-Test series against South Africa starting later this month.
Ajmal, the 36-year-old off-spinner who took 24 wickets to wreck England, said at a team training camp in Lahore: “Last time when we played in Dubai England was number one and we were at the same position (sixth) and we performed well.
“We will try our best to perform as well against South Africa as we did against England.” Pakistan will once again look to tame Graeme Smith, chiefly through Ajmal and left-armer Abdul Rehman.
“Our bowling attack is good, fast bowlers are also good, Rehman is also in nice form and has also given very good performances, and we will make a good bowling combination,” said Ajmal, who will turn 37 on the first day of the first Test on October 14 in Abu Dhabi.
The second Test starts in Dubai on Oct. 23.
“We are capable of bowling them out twice in Tests. We are not down, you win and lose in cricket and we will do well,” he said.
“There’s nothing like revenge in cricket, but we will reply them good. I can’t say 100 percent Pakistan will win, but if we play to 100 percent we will win.” Pakistan and South Africa will also play five one-day and two Twenty20 internationals.