Islamabad: Former Pakistan fast bowler Aaqib Javed on Friday lambasted the national team and its pacers for their poor performance against South Africa. The veteran railed against the bowling speed of the Pakistani pace battery, and their lack of ability to take wickets at crucial stages.
The veteran further stated that no one knows what was the criteria to select Mohammad Amir as his speeds were same, around 135-140kph, due to which he was being rested.
“There is no pace bowler in the team at the moment who can create panic among the opposition’s line-up while our batsmen were also below-par. We actually sent a limited-overs team to South Africa,” Dawn quoted Javed, as saying.
“Furthermore, no one knows what was the criteria to select Mohammad Amir as his speeds were same, around 135-140kph, due to which he was being rested, Where did they test whether his bowling speeds were up again?” Javed questioned.
After the Champions Trophy, Pakistan team had played 13 Test matches, lost eight and won only four.
Pakistan fast bowlers scalped 56 wickets in their last six test matches. In recent times, Pakistan fast bowling is overshadowed by their spinning wizard Yasir Shah. The biggest concern for the Pakistan management at the moment is the bowling speed of their fast bowlers. The Pakistan pace battery bowled with an average speed of 128-136 Km/ph against the Proteas.
The world cup winning bowler, however, is confident of his team to bounce back against South Africa in upcoming one-day series.
“We have good limited-overs players. But we still need to take serious steps if we are to field a strong team at the World Cup later this year,” Javed said.
After losing the Test series 0-3, Pakistan are slated to play three-match ODI series against South Africa beginning January 19 at the St. George’s Park stadium.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]