Karachi: Fast-bowling legend Wasim Akram on Tuesday hailed Pakistan’s “incredible” Test series win over Australia - their first in 20 years.
Pakistan crushed Australia by 356 runs in the second Test in Abu Dhabi on Monday, taking the two-match series 2-0.
It is the first time Pakistan have beaten the Aussies in a Test series since 1994, when they won 1-0 at home.
Former captain Akram said the win was all the more remarkable because Pakistan were missing a host of key players, including star spinner Saeed Ajmal, suspended over his illegal bowling action.
“This is an incredible win for Pakistan,” said Akram, who was the last captain to lead Pakistan to a Test win in Australia.
“Pakistan gave an extraordinary performance, something I had not expected before the series with Saeed Ajmal not there and because of batting weaknesses.”
Ajmal was barely missed as replacement spinners Zulfiqar Babar and leggie Yasir Shah took 26 of the 40 wickets to fall in the two Tests.
“I had thought Australia would be tough to beat but kudos to our players like Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq and spinners that they made Australia look an ordinary team,” said Wasim.
“I had never thought that Pakistan’s batting will perform so consistently, but they did and Younis topped the charts.”
Meanwhile, Cricket Australia (CA) high performance chief Pat Howard said the team’s inadequacies in playing spin in Asian conditions will take time and hard work to put right,
Howard said moves were in place to rectify the problem with spin pitches installed at CA’s 29 million Australian dollar ($25 million, or 92.91 million UAE dirhams) training facility in Brisbane.
He added that CA would continue to use external spin consultants, such as Sri Lanka great Muttiah Muralitharan, and undertake developmental sub-continent tours that expose Test candidates to the foreign playing conditions at an early age.
“All of those things will bring about improvement, but in no way are they an overnight solution,” Howard said. “It will take time and hard work.”
Australia have now lost 10 Tests out of their last 15 in Asia since 2008, winning just one against Sri Lanka and drawing the remaining four.
“To be a great side, we have to be able to win consistently on the road and it’s clear that we still struggle to cope with dry sub-continental conditions,” Howard said.
