'Ajmal's masterstroke of 'teesra mindgame' pushed England on backfoot in first Test'

Karachi, Jan 21(ANI): Pakistani cricket commentator Amir Sohail has described off-spinner Saeed Ajmal's mindgame of bowling 'teesra' as a masterstroke, which pushed England on the back-foot in the first Test in the United Arab Emirates.

"I think the masterstroke was when before the series had even commenced, Saeed Ajmal announced that he was going to surprise the England team with a new delivery, the Teesra. As a result of the comment by Saeed (Ajmal) the English batsmen were left trying to fathom out what the Teesra was and what would happen when Ajmal bowled it," PakPassion.net quoted Sohail, as saying.

"In the process, Ajmal forced the England batsmen onto the back foot and they kept on losing wickets on a very flat track. From there on, England could not recover. Ajmal's mind games were a masterstroke," he added.

His comments came after Ajmal was given the Man of the Match award for claiming ten wickets in the first Test.

He also lauded Misbah-ul Haq captaincy, saying he is capable of extracting the best of the players' potential.

"One of Misbah's best traits though is that he gets the best out of the players. He doesn't put extra pressure on his teammates and he's keeping it simple by only asking his teammates to do things which they are capable of. He doesn't ask the players 'for the moon' and he's just allowing his team to settle down whether it is a One Day International or a Test match," Sohail said.

He also said that there was no need to appoint a new national cricket coach as Pakistan is performing well under Mohsin Khan's guidance.

"There is a consistency in the Pakistan batting and you have to give Mohsin Khan the credit he deserves. There are so many variables when you appoint a foreign coach, is he going to adjust to the culture, is he going to gel in the dressing room. If Mohsin Khan is gelling well in the dressing room then why do you need to change things?" he said.(ANI)