Saeed Ajmal – the last little caboose

Saeed Ajmal is the last little caboose of a great Pakistani bowling train – cars of which comprised both fast bowlers and spinners. Fast bowlers embraced likes of Fazal Mahmood, Sarfraz Nawaz, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif. Spinners included Intikhab Alam, Abdul Qadir, Iqbal Qasim, Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq. All the cars have passed and are out of sight now. The last little caboose is within the sight but it too will disappear soon.

When will the next train arrive? Nobody knows, especially in case of Pakistan – world’s most unpredictable and fragile country in every walk of life and cricket is no exception. In Saeed Ajmal, rest Pakistan’s hope – though not too that extent as his predecessor cars had. His record is good but not like a full car but only reflect the last little caboose of a great train.

Pakistani fans carry lot of expectations from Saeed Ajmal. This is understandable, first because of some great variety in off-spin bowling that he exhibits regularly including his famous ‘doosras’ and ‘teesras’; and second because of no other bowler in Pakistani team is capable of getting many wickets. Pakistan is now a mere miniature of a great bowling side that was hallmark of cricket fields until a decade ago.

Pakistan and South Africa are playing a series that involves all three formats of international cricket over a period of 32 days starting on 14 October. They will play three Test matches, five One Day Internationals and two Twenty20 International matches in the desert of United Arab Emirates. Saeed Ajmal is Pakistan’s only hope who can get many wickets to bowl South Africa out.

Ironically, Saeed Ajmal’s record against South Africa does not suggest that he can help Pakistani team to bowl South Africans out twice to win a Test match. In four Test matches against South Africans, he has taken 14 wickets, but 10 of these wickets were obtained in the same Test match – at Cape Town earlier this year in February where he took 10 wickets in the match for 147 runs. Excluding this single Test match, Saeed Ajmal has a dismal record against South Africa – only 4 wickets in three Tests at an astronomical average of 103.75 runs per wicket.

Can Pakistan rely on a bowler whose bowling average against South Africa is more than 100 runs in all but one Test match? Out of four, Saeed Ajmal’s three Test matches against South Africa were played in South Africa. His fourth Test match was in Dubai where he returned with figures of 2 for 95 and 1 for 102. He was subsequently dropped in the second Test match of the series when Pakistan played against South Africa in UAE. 

Saeed Ajmal’s record in UAE is excellent where he has taken 45 wickets in 7 Test matches at an average of only 23.73. That’s the only good news for Pakistani camp, but it is South Africa against whom he usually doesn’t perform well. 

Saeed Ajmal has played One Day Internationals for Pakistan against 13 countries and it is South Africa against whom his bowling average is the worst. In 9 matches, he has obtained only 11 wickets at an average of 33.54 and has never taken four wickets in a match. Again, his record is excellent in One Day International he has played in UAE where he has taken 44 wickets in only 26 matches at an average of only 21.88. Like Test matches, his bowling record against South Africa is below par in One day Internationals too. 

However, in Twenty20 Internationals Saeed Ajmal’s record is not bad both against South Africa and on UAE pitches. He has taken 8 wickets in 6 matches against South Africa at an impressive average of 16.87 and satisfactory economy rate of 6.42 runs per over. In Twenty20 Internationals in UAE, Saeed Ajmal has taken 19 wickets in 14 matches at commendable average of 15.36 and economy rate of 5.42.

Saeed Ajmal is the only hope who can bowl opposition out and give few more victories to Pakistan but quite unlikely in the coming Test series. Nevertheless he should be appreciated and respected because once this little caboose is gone too; nobody knows when the next train will arrive.