A 10 wicket haul against the best batting unit in the world. Not bad.
Seven wickets for a spinner on the first day of a test match. Simply sensational.
It was a performance of real class from Saeed Ajmal. I have spoken about him at length already; adding to that, this performance won his team the game. He is a genuine match winner.
Having been a late-comer to test cricket (at the age of 30), he is now 34 and making the most of his opportunity. He has worked his way up to number three in the test bowling rankings – when this series is finished he will go higher than that. If we see him ranked at number one before the end of this year, it wouldn’t surprise me.
Much has been said about his ‘suspect’ action. Regardless of what you think, he is a special special talent and the world shouldn’t be so quick to doubt him.
The magic he has with the ball at his fingertips was cast upon the England side. His flight and guile, his variations and his change in pace was all evident as he won his side the game on the first morning of the test.
He deserves all the plaudits he gets.