Pakistan coach Intikhab plans to spin Australia

CRICKET: LAHORE, Pakistan, April 11, 2009: Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam took heart Friday from Australia's vulnerability on spin, saying his slow bowlers could emulate South Africa's success over the world champions.

Australia were undone by spinners in the third one-day international at Cape Town Thursday with left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe taking three wickets for 37 runs in South Africa's 25-run victory.

Earlier, off-spinner Johan Botha excelled against Australia - both in Australia and now in South Africa.

Alam, himself a leg-spinner, said his slow bowlers can come good on the slow wickets in United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the five one-day and one Twenty20 match series between Australia and Pakistan will be played April 22-May 7.

"I am pleased to see that Australians lost wickets against spinners and we too have three quality spinners and if the wickets assist slow bowlers then we have a good chance," Alam told reporters.

Pakistan have off-spinner Saeed Ajmal in their 15-man squad with leg-spinner Shahid Afridi and off-spinner Shoaib Malik as back ups.

Alam said that with all-rounders Malik and Afridi, there is always a chance of two spinners in the side.

"It all depends on the response from the pitch, but we can have more than one spinner in every match and get wickets," said Alam, who has taken 125 wickets for Pakistan in 47 Tests.

Alam took 1,571 wickets in first-class cricket and made a solid impact for Surrey on the English circuit.

Pakistan's squad is attending a short, three-day camp before flying to Dubai Sunday. The first one-day match against Australia will be played in Dubai on April 22.

It will be followed by the second match, also in Dubai, on April 24. The next three matches are scheduled for Abu Dhabi on April 27, May 1 and 3. The only Twenty20 international will be played in Dubai on May 7.

In February this year, the Pakistan Cricket Board was forced to move the series to the UAE after Australia refused to tour Pakistan over security fears.

Pakistan will play practice matches in the Emirates to ascertain the conditions - a ploy that Alam said will help them in the series.

"The ground in Dubai is new, so we will have to check and there is also the dew factor in the evening," Alam said.

"Although there are plans to use chemicals to counter the dew during the innings break, we have to wait and see how it works out during our practice match."

Alam said Australia will not miss the rested trio of Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey and Mitchell Johnston as they still had enough good players.

"They have enough bench strength and are playing non-stop international cricket so that was one of the reasons that they have rested their senior players ahead of Twenty20 World Cup and the Ashes," said Alam.

AFP