Can Pakistani spinners hunt South Africans?

Pakistan is hosting its ‘home’ series against South Africa at neutral venue of United Arab Emirates. It includes two Test matches, five One Day Internationals and two Twenty20 International matches. 

Pakistan has been forced to play its ‘home’ matches in other countries because every Test match playing has refused to play in Pakistan due to security concerns. Sri Lanka was the last team to tour Pakistan but had to leave the country in emergency after a terrorist attack on its team in Lahore that critically injured several Sri Lankan players.  

First Test match between Pakistan and South Africa will be played at Abu Dhabi from 14 to 18 October and second Test match at Dubai from 23 to 27 October. Pakistan’s last ‘home’ series against South Africa was also played at same venues of Abu Dhabi and Dubai nearly three years ago. That was a boring series and both Tests ended in dull drawn matches. Pakistani management did not have courage to put any kind of life into the pitches prepared for the Test matches for fear of losing. They did not want to take even slightest of risks and opted for ‘dead’ wickets.

This year cricket experts are divided in their opinion of what kind of wickets Pakistani management is preparing to extract the ‘home’ advantage. Some think that like last series it will again be a dull series on ‘dead’ wickets because Pakistani management will again not risk putting a weak and inexperienced Pakistani team against mighty South African team. Pakistan’s batting is fragile and unpredictable and fast bowling department is very inexperienced. The other group of experts is predicting that Pakistan would prepare turning tracks to help its spinners because they think South African batting can prove weak against spin bowling.

In my opinion, the myth about South African weakness against spinners has always misled Pakistani management. Out of 21 Test matches between two countries, 12 have been played in South Africa. Pakistan has hosted 9 Test matches including two in UAE in the last series. In every series Pakistani management tried to hunt South Africans by spinners but Pakistani team could win only one Test match. Pakistan’s solitary ‘home’ win against South Africa was achieved in October 2003 in Lahore.

Pakistan hosted first series South Africa in October 1997. The plan was very straightforward – to hunt South Africans by great duo of Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq. Pakistan’s pace attack consisted of one genuine fast bowler Waqar Younis and one all-rounder Azhar Mahmood while whole thrust was planned on spin bowling of Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq. It was a tame draw due to flat wicket and bad weather as well as good batting by South Africans to post over 400 runs. Second Test at Sheikhupura was again drawn due to flat wicket and bad weather. South Africans repeated a 400 plus score and defied Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq quite well. Wasim Akram was the only fast bowler in Pakistani team as he replaced Waqar Younis. South African won the third Test at Faisalabad by 53 runs to take the series 1-0. Pakistan played both Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis as well as Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq besides all-rounder Azhar Mahmood. Wasim-Waqar duo got 9 wickets in the match while Mushtaq-Saqlain took 7. 

South Africa’s next series in Pakistan was in October 2003. Pakistan laid a spin track at Lahore and won by 8 wickets as Pakistani spinners got 12 wickets in the match. Pakistan played with two right-arm leg spinners Mushtaq Ahmed and Danish Kaneria as well as off spinner Shoaib Malik. Pakistan successfully drew the second Test match at Faisalabad to seal the series with 1-0 win. This is the only series win by Pakistan against South Africa and strategy of hunting South Africans by spinners worked well. 

Pakistan’s third ‘home’ series against South Africans was played in October 2007. Pakistan had a clear strategy to hunt South Africans by spinners and played four spinners in the first Test match at Karachi. It included all three varieties of spin bowling i.e. right-arm leg spin of Danish Kaneria, slow left-arm orthodox of Abdur Rehman and off spin of Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez. This strategy backfired very badly as South African played with ease and posted 450. Jacques Kallis hit centuries in both innings while all other batsmen scored good runs and defeated Pakistan by 160 runs. Pakistani spinners were again thrashed by Jacques Kallis, Graeme Smith and others in the Second Test at Lahore to earn a draw and winning the series 1-0. Pakistan’s strategy of hunting South Africa by spinners failed miserably. 

Pakistan’s fourth ‘home’ series against South Africans was at neutral venue of United Arab Emirates where both Tests played at Abu Dhabi and Dubai ended in dull drawn matches. Pakistan’s spin trio of Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman and Mohammad Hafeez failed to put any impact on South Africans who had upper hand in both matches.

Pakistan’s strategy of hunting South Africans by spinners had very limited success in the past 9 ‘home’ Test matches with only one win. Two Test matches were lost and other six ended in draw with South Africans having upper hand in most of the matches. The myth of South Africa’s weakness against spin bowling has misled Pakistan in the past and may again emulate same results if Pakistani management commits same strategic miscalculations. 

Pakistan’s spin attack does not have any right-arm leg spin googly bowler. Saeed Ajmal is an off spinner while Abdur Rehman and uncapped Zulfiqar Babar are slow left-arm orthodox bowlers – all finger spinners and no wrist spinners. In the past two series South African batsmen had no difficulty in playing Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman as most of them are good players of finger spin bowlers. Lack of a wrist spinner makes any Pakistani success improbable no matter how much turning track is made. I can visualize Pakistan falling in its own trap again!