KARACHI: Pakistan cricket team have the talent and the firepower to give England a tough time in the four-Test series that starts next month, former chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed Sallu said on Tuesday.

Talking to Dawn, the former Test cricketer said Misbah-ul-Haq’s men will surely prove to be tougher opposition to Alastair Cook’s men compared to Sri Lanka who went down rather meekly in the Tests.

“Pakistan is definitely a better equipped side compared to the Lankans as we have the right blend of experience and youth in the side and penetrative bowling,” he said.

“Also, I know from experience that July and August are the best cricketing months in England and the weather conditions will be much suitable for Pakistan during the Tests.”

Sallu said that Lord’s, where the first Test will be played from July 14, will also be more conducive to Pakistan bowling from what he had observed in the Test there against Sri Lanka.

“The ball was keeping low during the England-Sri Lanka Test and the wicketkeepers were collecting it knee high which means that bounce will not be a problem for our batsmen,” argued Sallu.

“We must not forget that Angelo Matthews’ side is in a rebuilding process after the successive retirements of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara. But they have still done quite well in the ODIs, especially in that tied game against England,” noted Sallu.

Giving his opinion about Pakistan’s opening pair, Sallu said he was pinning high hopes in the duo of Mohammad Hafeez and Shan Masood.

“Both these players have contrasting styles of batting but have played quite a bit in the English conditions, so I am confident about their success as openers.”

Sallu observed that while there was talk about promoting Azhar Ali as opener in Tests, he did not see much sense in it since the opening slot was a specialist position.

“In case of any injury or loss of form of either Shan or Hafeez, we have a good back-up in Sami Aslam who has also done well in England as the Under-19 team skipper a few years ago,” recalled Sallu.

“The history tells us that most games in England have been won by our bowlers, but I feel this time in presence of fine players like skipper Misbah, seasoned Younis Khan, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed, our batting can hold its own against England.”

He added that the younger players in the side will surely benefit while playing alongside Younis at the crease since he has this brilliant knack of guiding the youngsters during partnerships.

As for Pakistan’s bowling, Sallu said it was formidable enough to bowl out England twice.

“Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Yasir Shah are all fine bowlers and should make life difficult for the England batsmen,” he said.

In the end, Sallu wished the team and its new management - headed by coach Mickey Arthur - well and hoped that exemplary discipline will be maintained throughout the tour.

“Discipline surely is the key, not just in manner of the players’ conduct but also in performances on the field. Besides that, I hope fielding will also be up to the mark during the Tests to provide adequate support to the bowlers.”

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2016