England vs Pakistan 2016: Sohail Khan says he did his homework on England batsmen

Sohail Khan was at his best in England

Pakistan pacer Sohail Khan, who came back to Test Cricket recently, said that the homework which he did on England’s batsmen had helped him a lot on the tour. In a dream return to the Test Cricket, The right-arm pacer did not upset his captain in his first game at Edgbaston, where he troubled the English top order and picked up 5 crucial wickets for 96.

He followed that with another five-for in the next and last Test match of the series at The Oval, where he became the real danger for the England’s batsmen and won the match for his side.

After winning the first Test match by 75 runs against England, Pakistan was full of confidence. Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul- Haq became the oldest visiting player to appear in a Test match in England in the last 31 years. But in the 2^nd Test at Old Trafford, it seemed that Pakistan’s world had been completely turned around. England had equalled the series, defeated Pakistan by 330 runs. Joe Root from the host side made a spectacular innings of 254 runs and became the man of the match.

After the 330-runs thrashing by Alastair Cook’s men at the Old Trafford compelled Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq to make two changes for the third Test at Edgbaston.

Besides the young left-handed opener Sami Aslam, who came in the team for  the wobbly Shan Masood, Misbah also opted for the pacer Sohail Khan. It surprised the critics since the 32-year-old had been out of Test matches for more than five years and had not made a good impression in the practice matches on the England tour either.

Also read: 5 fastest Test centuries by an Indian cricketer

In an interview with the Dawn Sohail told, "I had done my homework about their [England batsmen] strengths and weaknesses. All I did was bowl in the right areas. Of course, there were runs taken off me because they are fine players, but bowling a tight length reaped me a lot of success”.

He went on to say that his aim was to bowl consistently at his line and length. He knew the English batsmen did not gift away their wickets and arriving in England a month ahead also helped him a lot to get acclimatised and understand the Duke ball better.

"I wasn't tired at all," he said. "I was bowling with the new ball. In English conditions, you need to give more air to the ball so it can swing. It is all about the understanding of the game. Bowling is not only about hammering short-pitched balls at the batsmen or generating pace. It is about varying your pace according to the situation."

Before the England tour Sohail had last played a Test match way back in 2011, in Zimbabwe, picked only one wicket in a match Pakistan won by seven wickets. After almost five- year gap, the seamer was drafted into the Pakistan’s Test XI in place of Wahab Riaz.

During the World Cup 2015, Sohail picked a superb five-for his One-Day International return against team India. Recalling the moment the right arm fast bowler said, “Kohli is a big player and God has given him respect that he enjoys today. But, my aim is to bring laurels for my country so I don’t see who is batting in front of me when I am bowling. My aim is to get them out.”

“I respect everyone, but I leave that respect aside once I enter the ground. On the field, they are all the same for me.”

During a crucial stage of the Edgbaston test, the Malakand-born pacer also displayed a fine performance with the bat and put up a crisp 50-run stand with Rahat Ali for the last wicket eventually helping Pakistan draw the series. The drawn series has helped Pakistan climb up the ladders of the ICC Test Rankings, where they took pole position earlier this month for the first time in Cricketing history.