Tour of England: Go out and play, urges Rashid Latif

Former captain wants Amir and team to enjoy their cricket as opening Test starts today

KARACHI: As Pakistan enter the hallowed Lord’s turf for the first time in six years for their opening Test against England, former captain Rashid Latif feels they have the ammunition to beat the hosts.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Latif emphasised that the team should not worry about the reaction to Mohammad Amir’s return to Test cricket and Lord’s — the scene of the spot-fixing scandal of 2010, for which he was given a five-year ban — as he believes the left-armer has the potential to cause real trouble to the English batsmen.

“Players including Amir shouldn’t worry about what has been said or written, they should enjoy being out in the middle,” insisted Latif. “Amir is a key player and can turn the tables on the hosts, everyone would be backing him.”



Pakistan have named a 12-man squad for the Test, with a toss-up for the last spot in the eleven likely between fast-bowlers Rahat Ali and Imran Khan.

Latif feels Imran has an edge since he has done well on pitches that encourage quick bowlers, although he can struggle when the pitch flattens out.

“Imran should be more suitable, he’s good in seaming conditions though he won’t be that effective on flat wickets,” observed Latif. “Our bowling is good and we have the ability to bowl out the team twice.”

The former wicketkeeper wants Pakistan to bat first if they win the toss and not be overawed by overhead conditions.



“Unless the pitch is unusually green, we should bat first,” suggested Latif. “If we bat first and score big runs, we have Yasir Shah who can exploit the pitch on the last two days.

“The pressure of Test cricket is second to none, so unless it’s a really green pitch, we should bat and should play positively.”

Latif added that batsmen like Mohammad Hafeez and Misbahul Haq will have their work cut out in the English conditions and he hopes they can deliver as per expectations.



Root dismisses Wahab ‘trash talk’

England batting mainstay Joe Root has dismissed “trash talk” by Pakistan paceman Wahab Riaz who claimed he has got the batsman’s number going into the first Test at Lord’s starting today.

Root will return to the crucial number three position in the batting line-up against Pakistan and Wahab has already turned the heat on him, claiming the visitors have plans ready for the 25-year-old.

“I heard about that. It’s the same before every series, you generally get a bit of trash talk,” Root told reporters. “It’s getting a bit like boxing now. He is a fantastic bowler. Good pace, gets the ball to reverse swing, so it will be interesting to see how that goes throughout the series.”

Wahab reiterated Pakistan’s plans to unsettle Root. “Joe Root is the backbone of the England team and getting him out early will put the pressure on England,” said the 31-year-old left-arm paceman. “If he thinks it is just trash talk then hats off to him.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14^th, 2016.

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