"...Quit Cricket": Ex-Pakistan Spinner Saeed Ajmal To Those Complaining About "Flat Pitches"

There has been a lot of talk around the pitch ever since the Pakistan vs Australia Test series began earlier this month. Tons of runs have been scored by batters of both sides in the two drawn Tests so far with bowlers having to toil hard on pitches that had little help for seamers and spinners alike. The pitch for the first Test in Rawalpindi, where close to 1200 runs were scored in just three innings at the cost of only 14 wickets, was in fact rated as "below average" by ICC. Although Australian seamers managed to bowl Pakistan out for 148 in the first innings of the second Test in Karachi after posting 500-plus in their first innings, the hosts bated for 171.4 overs in the fourth innings to walk away with a draw. Amid all the discussion around how pitches in Pakistan have so far made matters difficult for the bowlers, former Pakistan spinners Saeed Ajmal shared a slightly different opinion.

Ajmal said one should "quit cricket" if they want to "complain about flat pitches" instead of finding ways to make things happen with their skill and patience.

"To take wickets, you need temperament. You need to bowl a good 8-10 overs to play mind games with the batsmen and then you will be able to execute your plan. If you want to complain about 'flat pitches' then you should quit cricket," Ajmal said in an interview with Cricket Pakistan.

Ajmal, who picked up 447 wickets across formats for Pakistan, troubling some of the batters during his playing days, said there's no point of being a spinner if one can't learn how to perform in all conditions.

"If the spinner is going to look at the pitch and then bowl, what is the point of being a spinner then? Spinners need to learn to perform in all conditions. These were flat pitches and honestly, many decks in Test cricket are like this," he said. "The notion that Pakistan always had spin wickets was never the case. Even when we were playing in the UAE, we had to spin the ball and it did not just magically happen."

The 44-year-old gave Pakistan spinner Nauman Ali's example to further explain his point about having the ability to spin the ball in any condition.

"Nauman Ali bowled relatively well and the wicket of Cameron Green is a perfect example; the ball pitched on the leg side and spun to clip the middle and off-stump. Although there weren't many deliveries like that but that is an example of how bowlers creating opportunities when the track is not supporting you," he explained.
 

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Saeed Ajmal Pakistan Cricket Team Australia Cricket Team Cricket