November 27, 2007	Tuesday	Ziqa’ad 16, 1428

NEW DELHI, Nov 26: The chairman of the national selection committee, Salahuddin Ahmed Sallu, said on Monday that Pakistan had the ability to bounce back despite their defeat in the first Test against India.

Sallu, who is here to watch the three-match series, hoped Pakistan would come out firing on all cylinders when the second Test of the three-match starts on Friday in Kolkata.

“Despite our defeat in the first Test, I am still optimistic about Pakistan’s chances and they are definitely capable of bouncing back in the remaining two Tests of the series,” he told Dawn shortly after India clinched victory by six wickets at the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground.

The chief selector said that different playing conditions in Kolkata would suit Pakistan better than they had encountered here in Delhi.

“The outfield at Eden Gardens is extremely fast. It’s like a carpet and I feel the ball will take longer to get softened. And because our strength is based around quick bowlers, the conditions there will definitely assist Pakistan pacers,” he stressed.

Sallu lauded Shoaib Akhtar’s outstanding performance in Delhi Test and said that due to lack of support for the Rawalpindi Express, Pakistan struggled to put India under pressure.

“I thought Shoaib was absolutely magnificent in this Test. The way he bent his back was praiseworthy. His attitude was simply brilliant. Sadly, the other bowlers failed to support him at crucial junctures,” he added.

“There was no doubt about Shoaib’s commitment to the team. He bowled his hearts out and still generated great pace on what was a lifeless pitch for fast bowlers at Kotla.”

While expressing his disappointment at Pakistan’s failure to put up competitive totals in both innings of the Delhi Test, Sallu still backed senior batsmen Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan to come good in the coming Tests.

“Yousuf and Younis are world-class players with excellent Test records. They have served Pakistan with distinction in the past and I hope they will put their failure in the first Test behind them and play long innings.”

“Overall, I was happy to see Salman Butt and Yasir Hameed putting up a decent opening partnership in the second innings here. They have the talent and temperament to improve from here onwards. Misbah-ul-Haq’s form was encouraging for the team and I hope he carries on in the same vein not only in the rest of this series, but also in the future.”