Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed backs spin pitches for home test matches

MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed says there’s no harm in preparing wickets for spinners at home to get favorable results as Pakistan eyes a clean sweep against the West Indies in their two-match test series.

Spin trio Noman Ali, Sajid Khan and Abrar Ahmed claimed all 20 wickets in Pakistan’s 127-run victory in the first test at Multan, which also hosts the second test starting Saturday.

“If we had taken these decisions earlier, then we would have been in the race for the World Test Championship final,” Javed told reporters Friday. “The rule of test cricket is to win at home. If you win at home and you win 2-3 tests away, you become a strong candidate for the final.”

Javed said “of course” they were right “to prepare a spin pitch against West Indies. Their batters are not as proficient against spin when compared to fast bowling.”

Pakistan is No. 8 just ahead of last-place West Indies in the WTC standings with Australia and South Africa already into this June’s final at Lord’s.

Pakistan lost 2-0 to Bangladesh at home and then trailed 1-0 against England before Javed took over the pitch preparations, drying out the 22-yard pitches in Multan and Rawalpindi with the help of industrial-sized fans and patio heaters.

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The engineered pitches favored the home spinners as Pakistan recorded a 2-1 series win against England and followed it with another convincing win against the West Indies.

“We think we can prepare these pitches in every center of Pakistan, and it should be as difficult to beat Pakistan here as it is to beat Australia or South Africa away,” Javed said. “People should know if they’re going to Pakistan, they will have to do something extraordinary to beat Pakistan.”

The spin domination has seen Pakistan going with just one fast bowler, Khurram Shahzad, in the first test.

Without naming any present day Pakistan fast bowler, Javed said Pakistan pacers have got a dip in their art of reverse swing with the old red-ball once used efficiently by the likes of Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in the past.

“We used to be strong on reverse swing, but now that skill level has gone down,” Javed said. “We have told our fast bowlers if you want to take wickets here, their reverse swing skill will have to go up.”

The spin pitches in Pakistan have seen the home team batters struggle against quality spinners such as West Indies left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican, who took a match haul of 10 wickets in the first test.

“If foreign players are struggling on these pitches, so are our players because they have never played on these pitches,” Javed said. “We have told them their training and practice routines will be geared towards this, and we will change domestic pitches, too.”

Pakistan starts the next WTC cycle in October when it hosts South Africa for two test matches.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket