"We either take a selfish approach with a spinning track to win or focus on saving the game; I’d rather see us save the game": Shoaib Akhtar

[Cricket Warrior]

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, speaking to BBC Test Match Special:

"Why can't we take our home advantages since we know our fast bowlers cannot bowl for 40 in a game?

"What options are you left win? It's a spin track. So, OK make a spin track and start winning the games.

"I think we are second from bottom in the rankings so what do we do from there? Take a selfish approach to make a spin track and win games to get our rankings right?

"Or do we try to save the game? I would rather save the game than win Test matches.

"I would rather play the game in a manner that can save Test cricket."

 

[TeymurBlake]

And this will be the last of Shoaib Akhtar on BBC Test Match Special.

To be fair, he is honouring his nickname well as the Rawalpindi Express. He's ex-pressing his way out of returning on BBC TMS.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

And this will be the last of Shoaib Akhtar on BBC Test Match Special.

He speaks according to his audience.

When he wants an Indian audience he will say stuff Indians lap up.

Here is repeating the Bazball mantra of "saving test cricket" back to them.

 

[ElRaja]

were pak saving the game with the run fast pattas of the last 3 years?

if u cant make proper sporting wickets then spin it is, make two spinning tracks and try to make one seaming track every series. moderated experimentation

 

[The Bald Eagle]

What Shoaib is saying sounds good and infact will help in the long run but in short term it will result in elimination of all officials from PCB owing to zero wins.

 

[Abdullah]

Yes Shoaib has a point . This is an extremely short term strategy, that will unwind against a team that has proper batters and/or proper spinners.

Bangladesh would have a better chance on big spinning wickets and so would SL than a bazball England team.

England doesn't have quality spinners and the batters bar root are useless when the ball is turning like this, where you need to guys it out and put a price on every wicket

 

[Buffet]

Yes Shoaib has a point . This is an extremely short term strategy, that will unwind against a team that has proper batters and/or proper spinners.

Bangladesh would have a better chance on big spinning wickets and so would SL than a bazball England team.

England doesn't have quality spinners and the batters bar root are useless when the ball is turning like this, where you need to guys it out and put a price on every wicket

If pitch can't be sporting pitch having something for everyone then giving flat roads to Eng is the worst option. Flat roads were not saving the game at all.

Yes, Pakistan may struggle against sides who can play spin well and have good spinners but apart from SL, it's safe to say that Pakistan is better off with these pitches than flat roads. Pakistan can't pick up 20 wickets on flat raods and has very little chance to win any test. That's what happned for the last 3 years.

 

[emranabbas]

"Home Advantage"

 

[IAJ]

Chalo ji. Every country prepares wickets according to the strengths of the home team, so if Pakistan’s strength is spin, then spinning tracks should be on the menu, no issues there.

Having said that Pakistan are in urgent need of young and upcoming spinners. These chachad are doing wonderful job now but they are not the future.

 

[batandballbattle]

By making turners Pakistan has provided two gripping matches that are well worth watching. I'd argue that they are helping test cricket by giving us good contests, and certainly doing more for the game than those expressway pitches were.

 

[Savak]

There was nothing wrong with the pitches we prepared against Bangladesh. We got our team selections wrong. Include Sajid and Nauman in the Bangladesh tests and you will see significantly different results. Bangladesh had better experienced spin options in Shakib, Mehdi

The ideal wicket in Pakistan should offer pace, bounce for bowlers to bend their backs and batsmen to play their shots, spin for pacers and reverse swing for pacers with the old ball.

But in any case there is absolutely nothing wrong with preparing rank turners at home for an Asian team, its not like Australia, South Africa prepare slow tracks for us when we tour, so why should we be obliged to prepare sporting wickets for them.

 

[Xoib]

We have been pushed to have these pitches because our pathetic pacers don’t have stamina to bowl more then4 overs a day
In cricket score board pressure is a thing flat pitches or not and the usless pacers still ended up conceding huge leads despite bowling with 450 and 550 behind them unless we sort out our pace attack this should be go to home strategy

 

[BouncerGuy]

There is nothing wrong with using the home conditions to your advantage. However, Pakistan will struggle overseas with this approach. They are not gonna find spin-friendly tracks in SENA so they have to be well prepared for that as well.

 

[Asad T]

How will you save Test cricket if you keep losing
The way to save Test cricket and bring out the crowd is to win matches
Akhtar was a great bowler, but is really dim witted at times

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Lol...if Pakistan goal is WTC trophy (talking about the next cycle) then prepare as twisted pitches as you can but if the goal is to save Test by preparing flat wickets then prepare a graveyard of Pakistan bowlers too.

 

[Mamoon]

Classic Shoaib. When he speaks, you don’t listen. Zero intelligence.

 

[emranabbas]

There is nothing wrong with using the home conditions to your advantage. However, Pakistan will struggle overseas with this approach. They are not gonna find spin-friendly tracks in SENA so they have to be well prepared for that as well.

this is when Babar Rizwan shaheen and naseem need to step up so far they have failed us

 

[kron]

Pakistan's biggest mistake was allowing this bozo to spit his verbal diarrhoea. Someone e pas the tape. Need to mute this idiot.

Reduce noise pollution.

 

[FastBowlingAllrounder]

this is when Babar Rizwan shaheen and naseem need to step up so far they have failed us

The only time they succeeded us recently is when they were forced to step down... Let's give them a long hiatus now as having them away from the team seems to be helping.

On another note - winning and playing competitive cricket is what will save Test matches. If Pakistan can consistently win at home and still remain relatively competitive overseas in Test matches then people will rock up to watch. To do that, you have to be a little selfish in giving yourself a home advantage. Didn't see the Rawalpindi locomotive complaining about India's dustbowls for the past 10-12 years...

 

[Rajdeep]

Chalo ji. Every country prepares wickets according to the strengths of the home team, so if Pakistan’s strength is spin, then spinning tracks should be on the menu, no issues there.

Having said that Pakistan are in urgent need of young and upcoming spinners. These chachad are doing wonderful job now but they are not the future.

No country play with 0 seam bowlers...let alone a country like Pakistan who boasts about their fast bowlers.

These were the bowlers from Pakistan team with Saim Ayub opening the bowling

1st Innings
Sajid - 29 overs
Nauman - 28 overs
Zahid - 10 overs
Salman - 1 over

2nd Innings
Saim - 1 over
Nauman - 18 overs
Sajid - 18 overs

Not a single over for a fast bowler in the entire test is a joke. This win has zero value and not helping test cricket at all.

Akhtar is correct

 

[emranabbas]

No country play with 0 seam bowlers...let alone a country like Pakistan who boasts about their fast bowlers.

These were the bowlers from Pakistan team with Saim Ayub opening the bowling

1st Innings
Sajid - 29 overs
Nauman - 28 overs
Zahid - 10 overs
Salman - 1 over

2nd Innings
Saim - 1 over
Nauman - 18 overs
Sajid - 18 overs

Not a single over for a fast bowler in the entire test is a joke. This win has zero value and not helping test cricket at all.

Akhtar is correct

so you wanted fast bowlers to bowl on this pitch so England could pile up runs?

 

[BouncerGuy]

No country play with 0 seam bowlers...let alone a country like Pakistan who boasts about their fast bowlers.

These were the bowlers from Pakistan team with Saim Ayub opening the bowling

1st Innings
Sajid - 29 overs
Nauman - 28 overs
Zahid - 10 overs
Salman - 1 over

2nd Innings
Saim - 1 over
Nauman - 18 overs
Sajid - 18 overs

Not a single over for a fast bowler in the entire test is a joke. This win has zero value and not helping test cricket at all.

Akhtar is correct

Pakistan used their spin strength to win. Nothing wrong with that. But the problem is how long this trick will work. Not every team is gonna struggle against spin that much.

 

[IAJ]

Pakistan used their spin strength to win. Nothing wrong with that. But the problem is how long this trick will work. Not every team is gonna struggle against spin that much.

And not every team is going to play fast bowlers as best as the poms, so you select the team based on condtions and the opposition.
But looking at the future, it's very important to have good young spinners in the team. Noman and Sajid will not stick around for that long.

 

[zarak]

I don't get the big deal over pitches. I think a good pacer. Wicker to wicket wobble seam would have done well. Look at Carse he was their best bowler on a used wicket.

 

[HARKS]

England should have taken Hartley instead of Bashir, later is highly overrated and useless, bleed runs even in spinning track .