SG balls will aid bowlers, says Latif

Rashid Latif, the former Pakistan captain and wicketkeeper, is confident his team's fast bowlers will be able to perform well in India, aided by the SG balls that will be used in the forthcoming three-Test and five-ODI series. Mid Day newspaper of Mumbai quotes him as saying, "Our bowlers have not really exploited the Kookaburra ball when it loses its shine. But the SG cricket ball used in India is very different because it is harder and has a more prominent seam."

"The SG ball is very different from the Kookaburra because it has high abrasion resistance and excellent shape retention," said Latif. "Its seam is also very thick and lifted. And our bowlers are very good at using cricket balls that remain hard and have a prominent seam."

Pakistan are hoping Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami, their two main fast bowlers, will be fit in time for the tour of India. The two have excellent pace first up, and are masters at reverse-swinging the old ball. "The ball gives a lot of assistance to the new ball bowlers but it is far more dangerous when it becomes older as the bowlers can get more reverse swing and the spinners also get a lot of turn because of its seam condition."

While the Kookaburra ball is the one used most widely around the world, India has stuck to its SG balls, and this always gives bowlers something to work with. "On Indian pitches you see that pacers and spinners alike get a lot of wickets," said Latif. "With the Kookaburra ball the problem is that its seam is flattened quickly and even getting reverse swing is difficult since the abrasion does not last and the ball gets softer quickly.

"Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and even our spinners were very good at utilising the SG balls. But our bowlers struggle a bit with the Kookaburra for which you need to have real skills to get the ball to reverse swing regularly"