English batsmen transformed Ajmal into a Frankenstein

At the post-match press conference following Pakistan's ten-wicket win over England, Saeed Ajmal was asked whether he was now planning to introduce a fourth delivery for the Abu Dhabi Test match. Ajmal politely replied that he was still in the process of mastering the teesra, which is his third delivery. Whether it was the teesra, doosra (second) or the ordinary off-spin, Ajmal did the damage in the first Test. He forced England's reputed batsmen to play like debutants in a school match. It was clear that the English batsmen's feet did not go where they should have as their mind played havoc with them, transforming Ajmal into a Frankenstein. They faced him with such nervousness that they messed up their ability to play pace and gifted four wickets to Umar Gul. Here is an excellent instance of a bowler creating a major impact without actually delivering his secret weapon! Pakistan's victory on a wicket which was hardly spinning reveals the triumph of a team that spread fear through talk and then bowling a good line and length. Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq showed why he is a very successful captain. He ensured his fielders magnified England's fear of playing Ajmal's deliveries through expressions that the batsmen were just surviving every delivery. In modern cricket, bowlers pick up wickets not only by focusing on a batsman's weaknesses but attacking his mind too. Teams now try and create a fear both on and off the field and try their best to capitalise on it. England had done up their dressing room in the Dubai International Cricket Stadium with images of their glorious moments to inspire their players, but on the field they played like they were never part of those moments. They played the match with doubt in their mind despite their No 1 status; and that pulled them down. First and foremost there was this constant talk about playing in sub-continental conditions. Some of the English players, instead of asserting that they are the world's No 1 team and capable of playing on any wicket, naively said they would have to work hard on sub-continent wickets. All that the Pakistan team did was to make it harder for them. England's crashing in just three days of a Test match is an instance of lack of confidence more than lack of skill