Irfan pathan back in full speed

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Written by Admin
Thursday, 30 March 2006
In the middle of the excitement of India’s Kotla turnaround one point went almost unobserved — the speedometer showing when Irfan Pathan bowled. He touched in the 134-138 kmph range, significantly more than just a week ago at the Wankhede . Some say that Pathan, a vital part in coach Greg Chappell’s Vision 2007, is being used judiciously and asked to slow down in Tests to avoid injury. ‘‘He slowed down in the Tests because he had to bowl on dead tracks; Kotla had some life in it. He was never a tearaway pacer, his main weapon was swing. The English are used to facing swing bowlers back home and at his speed — 126 kmph — he didn’t pose a big problem,’’ Said the MRF Pace Foundation director TA Sekar. It is this vulnerability, Sekar points out, that sees Pathan go all out in those short spells during ODIs but holds back in Tests. There are some who feel that this might be in the team’s interest but won’t be good for Pathan himself. ally. ‘‘I can’t figure out what the team management is up to’’, says a former India pace bowler who’s worked closely with Pathan. ‘‘When one asks a pacer to bowl slow and he goes wicketless he loses self-belief. These are temporary measures. People in the team management should find ways to see that Pathan bowls at this optimal pace in both forms of games.’’