‘Pace is the ace for Pakistan’

Sohail Tanvir believes Pakistan’s superiority in the pace bowling department hands it a definite advantage over India in the forthcoming limited-overs series.

“India’s current fast bowlers are not very experienced,” the 28-year-old said here on Sunday. “They’ve played IPL but international cricket is different. For us it is a positive that India does not have a permanent, settled pace attack.”

Tanvir was speaking at a Pakistan media session alongside teammates Umar Gul and Umar Amin. The trio struck a relaxed note, patiently fielding questions in English and Urdu.

Gul denied that Pakistan had come to rely solely on its spinners. “Everyone has a role to perform,” he said. “Against England in Abu Dhabi, the fast bowlers contributed to the efforts of the spinners. Even here, we will try to lighten the load on the spinners.”

Tanvir added that Pakistan had never found itself in this situation before. “A lot of people are saying this but when you have three or four world-class spinners in the eleven, it subdues the role of the fast bowlers,” he said.

“Though we are contributing, when Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi and Md. Hafeez are all doing well together it can occur to people that Pakistan’s pace battery is not performing.”

Tanvir hoped that the two sides would serve up engrossing fare throughout the series. “We are hopeful that we’ll get to see a good contest, and I’m not talking about the result,” he said. “When India and Pakistan play, the form doesn’t matter; it’s about the passion. Our preparation has been good, so our expectations are good.”

The 23-year-old Amin, who is returning to the side after a gap of two years following his 2010 debut, felt performances in Indo-Pak cricket series carried greater weight. “Indian tours are important to Pakistani players and vice versa. I have come back after doing well in domestic cricket, and I hope to make an impression here.”

Tanvir offered an interesting explanation for the steady emergence of fast bowlers from Pakistan. “It’s probably due to our culture of playing tape-ball cricket,” he said. “I can’t think of anything else specific.”