KARACHI: Former Test cricketer and chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed Sallu has backed Pakistan to come out trumps against England in the three-match T20 series against England that commences in Dubai from Thursday.

Talking to Dawn on Wednesday, Sallu said while Pakistan had lost the ODI series 3-1 to England, the national T20 squad will make a strong comeback in the three-match series, mainly due to the aggressive leadership of Shahid Afridi and owing to a good combination of players ideally suited for the shortest format.

“Afridi and his men are a formidable force in T20 and I see no reason why we should not beat England in the upcoming contest,” said Sallu. “We are ranked number two in ICC T20 rankings because we have consistently enjoyed success in this format, thanks to match-winners such as skipper Afridi himself, Sarfraz Ahmed, Anwar Ali, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Rizwan, Sohail Tanvir and others.

“I also expect the new lot of Imran Khan Jr, Amir Yameen, Iftikhar to also make their impact in the series because they have loads of talent.”

Commenting on the inclusion of the 39-year-old Riffatullah Mohmand in the squad, Sallu said the seasoned player has earned it with his excellent performance in domestic cricket. “I am eagerly looking ahead to Riffatullah’s contribution in the England series because, despite his age, he is such a dashing player and is a super-fit athlete like Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan,” observed Sallu.

Outlining the reasons of Pakistan’s unexpected defeat in the ODI series, Sallu said: “We must realise that we have a rather young team in the ODIs today which needs time to settle down. Although England also had some of their main players missing in the contest, the inexperience of our players showed in the field, not just in the mistakes committed in running between wickets but also in shot selection.”

Sallu, however, categorically dismissed the impression created by ex-England skipper Michael Vaughan that Pakistan under-performed in the ODIs. “What a ridiculous statement from Vaughan who, I felt, lost a lot of credibility with his twitter comment,” lamented Sallu.

“I would like to ask Mr Vaughan where he was when England bowed out of this year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand after losing to the Netherlands and Bangladesh in preliminary round. In fact, in this ODI series against Pakistan, I can cite at least three dismissals of England players including that of skipper Eoin Morgan and Joe Root which were horrific. But none of the Pakistani media personnel made any allegation, simply because such things happen in the game of cricket,” argued Sallu.

“Perhaps Vaughan has an axe to grind with England Cricket Board (ECB) or why would he not appreciate his team doing well in the ODIs on merit.”

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2015