In the twilight of their careers, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal faced off in the 2017 Australian Open final, both battling injuries and fading from prominence. Despite the odds, they delivered an unforgettable match, with Federer emerging victorious. In a poignant moment, Federer expressed his willingness to share the title with Nadal, acknowledging the sport’s unforgiving nature.
Similarly, Sajid Khan and Noman Ali had faded from view in Pakistan cricket, with no recent first-class appearances and dwindling hopes of a national team return. However, in a remarkable turn of events, they emerged as the stars of Pakistan’s recent Test series against England, sharing 39 of the 40 English wickets to fall.
Sajid, awarded the Player of the Series, echoed Federer’s sentiment, crediting Noman’s mentorship and experience. “Nomi bhai is one of the most experienced players on the Pakistan domestic circuit,” Sajid said. “We should be sharing these Player of the Series awards. He’s a great spinner who has mentored and helped me as well.”
For England, the series was a disaster, but for Pakistan, it will be remembered for the resurgence of Sajid and Noman. Their dominance over England’s batters seemed inevitable in hindsight, but when England reached 211 for 2 in the first innings in Multan, it was Sajid and Noman’s reputations that were on the line.
Despite Sajid’s insistence that he felt no pressure, the weight of expectation was evident. “There wasn’t so much pressure [of the series] but [there was] some pressure of the comeback,” he admitted. “The captain, the vice captain, the whole team was gelling well together. We play domestic cricket together, on these kinds of wickets, so there wasn’t that much pressure.”
Noman, the elder statesman at 38, recognized the significance of their performance. “We’re grateful we had the conditions for the opportunity to win the series this way,” he said. “The way we came back is especially pleasing, and we hope we get similar conditions in future and we’ll pose difficulties for other teams.”
However, Noman also acknowledged the shortcomings in Pakistan’s spin strategy. “I think if you want to prepare spinners, you need to play more red-ball cricket,” he said. “You get all kinds of conditions in first-class cricket with new and old ball. When you do that, it gives you a lot of experience.”
As Pakistan contemplates the future of their spin attack, the lessons learned from this series will be invaluable. If they are to continue employing a spin-heavy approach, they must invest in developing their spinners through regular first-class cricket.
