Saeed Ajmal ran through four batsmen in one hour during a training session under the scorching heat at Shere Bangla Stadium in Mirpur. But he appeared to be bowling for the sake of it and helping the batsmen practice. Meanwhile, Pakistan the spin coach Mushtaq Ahmed, was busy looking after Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar.
Ajmal has struggled on his return to international cricket with a remodelled action. He has played only two ODIs and a T20, produced only one wicket in 22.3 overs and conceded runs at 6.57. He was dropped for the final ODI of the three-match series against Bangladesh, and subsequently sat out of the Khulna Test as well. Ajmal, however, said there was a plan in place and he needed time to regain his confidence as a bowler.
“For me it’s been a tough last eight months and I knew it will be tough moving forward also,” he said. “I’d said prior to coming here that I need time and I am disappointed that I am not able to fulfill the expectations of the nation. But I spoke to the captain and the coach and they have a plan for me. I need time to regain my confidence. It doesn’t come in overnight.
Ajmal has been an important wicket-taker in the past and Pakistan may have banked on that reputation while picking him on the tour. That he was then dropped indicates the management may have lost some faith in him and he is eager to set that right.
“I don’t want to play cricket on the basis of reputation,” he said. “I want to play with my head held high and with the same confidence level I had in past. Things are not going well presently, but you will see in coming days that I have improved. If I am benched that is the plan and the players playing in place of me are the best and performing well.
“Its true that you can go from bad to good and it’s also true that you can go from good to bad,” he added. “I don’t think I have changed my action significantly, only minor tweaks. I know my doosra is not being effective which is reflecting in my performance. But I am doing my best to get myself back on track as soon as possible. I am bowling with different angles from top and from side and things are improving and I am optimistic that I will be same Ajmal as I was.”
Ajmal has been a vital part of Pakistan’s success. Since 2011, he has contributed a third of the team’s wickets – 145 off 570. In his absence, however, Zulfiqar and Yasir have picked up the slack. They had contributed 14 wickets apiece during the team’s series win over Australia in the UAE and were again trusted to lead the slow-bowling threat in the drawn Khulna Test.
“I think it’s their right to play ahead of me,” Ajmal said. “They have done great without me and spare a thought about Khulna Test where pitch was slow enough to kill the spin otherwise they are good and have proved their ability.”
Yasir, though, said he could have used the kind of help Ajmal can offer: “Sometimes you miss having an experienced partner in the field with whom you discuss [tactics] and seek advice from,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “Like it was tough taking wickets on flat tracks as in Khulna where the pitch was unresponsive and we all were struggling to take wickets. So having a player like of Ajmal around gives you confidence.”
Pakistan are yet to win a game against Bangladesh on this tour and were blindsided by Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes’ world-record 312-run opening stand in the second innings in Khulna. But Ajmal conceded the hosts’ form was powerful enough “any team would have struggled”
“They are at their top of their form. There is no weakness in their combination; their batting, bowling and fielding clicking at the moment.
“They are a developing team and at the moment they can give any team a tough time. We underestimated them. We never thought they will play like that and that’s the reason we are shocked. Yes, in Test cricket we could have done better but the pitch was the main difference. I hardly saw the ball spin on the track but Pakistan is a better side in Tests and we have a plan this time and I don’t see any reason why we can’t beat them.”
