Mohammad Talha hoping to book Test berth

Sharjah — Mohammad Talha gave a superb start to Pakistan A when he trapped Australian opener Chris Rogers in front of the wicket with the very first ball of the initial over in the second day of the four-day warmup match at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

The 26-year medium pacer couldn’t add anymore wickets but bowled an impressive spell of 1-34 from 10 overs. With Pakistan grappling with injuries to their pacers Wahab Riaz and Junaid Khan, Talha seems to be a certainty for the first Test against Australia at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on October 22.

Talha, who claimed nine Test wickets from three matches, is hopeful that his performance in the warmup match could secure him a place in Dubai Test. “I am hopeful. I felt good bowling in the practice match today. It was a good preparation ahead of the first Test,” he told reporters after the match.

He felt quite confident while bowling against the likes of Michael Clarke and Phillip Hughes on Thursday. “Australia is a world class Test team. I felt confident bowling against them today.”

Though he worked hard for wickets here, he felt the pitch wasn’t conducive for fast bowlers.

“The wicket was very slow. The best chance to get a wicket for a pacer here is with the new ball. Once it gets older, it becomes really difficult to get wickets.”

Talha said pace bowlers could still play a bigger role in deciding the outcome of two Tests. “Mitchell (Johnson) bowled really well yesterday. He is a world class bowler. He can take wickets anywhere. Today I got good support from Rahat Ali, Ehsan Adil and Imran Khan from the other end.”

Talha, who also played in three one-dayers for Pakistan, said the dismissal of Michael Clarke helped Pakistan A team restrict the Aussies. “Clarke is a very dangerous batsman. Today we got him early. It helped,” he added.

pradeep@khaleejtimes.com