Pakistan may hand Iftikhar a Test debut: Mickey Arthur

A demoralizing defeat at the hands of England in the third Test at Edgbaston may be all the motivation Mickey Arthur and his Pakistan side require to pull off a minor miracle at The Oval, the venue that will host the final Test of the series. Arthur added that the form of Mohammad Hafeez was something that came at a bad time as far as the Pakistani management was concerned.

Arthur however, also went on to add that Iftikhar Ahmed, the Pakistani all-rounder may well come into the side in place of the 37-year old Pakistan veteran. Arthur also stated that the fact that Iftikhar can contribute with the ball will certainly go on to add value to the Test side as well.

“He bowls off-spin and decently, England has a lot of left-handers so he does give us an option as a fifth bowler if he comes in,” Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur told reporters at The Oval on Tuesday. “But we have to be dead certain he can come into our top six and get runs because we’ll be asking for runs first and bowling second.”

“It’s certainly one of the options, but whoever comes in somebody has got to bat in the middle order, which makes it a particularly long tail,” the South African explained. “It’s one that we’ve thought about and one I lay in bed thinking about it last night.

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Speaking about the positives for Pakistan in the previous Test, Arthur said, “That’s a very positive option because we’ve got to get 20 wickets in this Test match. We’ve got to work on that one.”

“I’m hoping we can get runs on board here, it turns a bit and there’s a bit of bounce – and that’s a leg-spinner’s best friend,” said Arthur.

Finally, speaking about veteran Younis Khan, Arthur added, ”He’s so professional on and off the field,” Arthur said. “Put it this way, he’s giving himself the best chance to perform.”

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