Pakistan won’t last three days at Perth: Kim Hughes
Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq had admitted that if his young team manages to win even one Test match against Australia in the coming series it would be a big achievement.
In an interview to a leading Australian newspaper he said that hopefully Pakistan would be a very good team in two years time. "It’s difficult to build a new team but these boys are really talented, they’ve worked hard in the nets and they’ve learned a lot of things and hopefully in one or two years I think it will be a good team.
"But Australia is the number one team in the world; in both batting and bowling they are very strong. "If we win a game here I think it will be a big achievement for Pakistan," he said.
Asked if he expected anyone to give Australia a few surprises he stated: "Maybe our two new fast bowlers, Mohammad Khalil and Mohammad Asif. Maybe they will give Australia some surprise," Asked whether he was enjoying his role as Pakistan’s captain, he said: "When you are winning, I enjoy it.
But it’s difficult because we have so many youngsters."
"The first four or five months were really difficult for me, but now we’re used to our positions and captain’s requirements and the boys are really confident with me," he stated.
Meanwhile former Australian captain Kim Hughes said there was no need to play a pace quartet against Pakistan, as the world champions would have the first Test won inside three days with the incumbent bowling attack of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz and leg-spinner Shane Warne.
Pakistan meet Australia in the first Test at the WACA ground from December 16. Hughes, who captained the Australian Test team for the first time against Pakistan in Perth in 1978-79, said fast bowler Brett Lee (named in the test 12 on Friday) had no chance of playing in Perth.
"Anybody that understands the WACA understands that we get a strong sea breeze here — you can’t attack from both ends, you’ve got to push into the strong sea breeze. It’s different at the Gabba, it’s different everywhere else.
Hughes was on hand to see Western Australia knock over Pakistan’s top order in less than a session on the first day of the tour game on Thursday and having witnessed the visiting batsmen continually play away from their bodies on the bouncy WACA wicket, he saw little chance of Pakistan going the distance.
"I don’t think the Test will last more than three days," he said.
"I think the Pakistan bowlers will worry our batsmen - there’s no doubt they will do all right — but the batting ... I looked at yesterday and their wicketkeeper (Kamran Akmal, who made a duck against WA) looked ordinary with the bat.
"Their tail almost starts at seven or eight and it just looks like slips catching practise."
Hughes also doubted if Shoaib Akhtar was fit enough to carry the Pakistani bowling this summer.
"The bowling strength is there providing Shoaib stays fit and that’s a big question mark because he doesn’t look as fit as what I think he should be to play three Tests inside 22 days ... and they look very, very brittle in their batting. Unbelievably brittle."
This is pretty much something i've been saying since sometime.I'm sorry top say that Pakistan will end up being a laughing stock in the comming series against Australia.
