Post the first day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur made a strong point regarding the fitness of pacer Sohail Khan. After doubting the right arm pacer’s ability to bowl long spells, Arthur mentioned the pacer is now much fitter and can bowl his later spells with the same intensity. At the end of the first day’s play where rain curtailed an early finish, Pakistan are 142-4 in 50.5 overs.
Post the thrashing inflicted upon Pakistan by New Zealand, Arthur had openly questioned the ability of Sohail Khan to last long and went on to say the later spells from the pacer were far lower in intensity. However, the Pakistan coach fully backed the pacer, who is a part of the playing XI for the Boxing Day Test.
“He has bowled beautifully,” Arthur said. “He has trained exceptionally, that’s all I can say. I don’t know if you’ve seen him lately, he has lost seven-eight kilos, he’s the first guy in the gym at six in the morning. He does his training, he bowls two-three spells in the nets every day. He has been excellent and I sort of doff my cap to him because he has been outstanding, almost been a model professional for us over the last month or so.”
Justifying his selection, Arthur further added, “Time will tell though. He knows exactly what the concerns are around him. We’re comfortable we have picked what we think is the best attack. It just gives us a little bit more balance. He has swung the ball nicely. He’s a right-armer. On this wicket you don’t want to give too many areas for Nathan Lyon to bowl so we wanted to keep one right-armer to attack.
“And what I said in the ABC interview was a fact – that we have concerns around him coming back – but there are so many positives about him. He swings the ball at a good pace and he is a real trier. So I am comfortable that he has done everything we wanted him to do and the proof of the pudding is going to be in how he performs,” Arthur concluded.