Salahuddin Ahmed (Sallu) Photo © CricInfo

When Pakistan takes on New Zealand for the second Test on Thursday, March 15, the tide would have been reversed. At the start of the rubber, the Pakistanis were gloomy and despondent, to the extent that Wasim Akram was making such forebodings as the likelihood of the Green Caps suffering "the same fate as the West Indies because it lacked the depth in talent". Famous last words!

Far from driving home the advantage, the Black Caps have been pushed on the back foot, and the Pakistanis seem resurgent. Two factors really made the difference: the fabulous performance of Pakistan's 'young guns' (as the debutants and Younis Khan are being called by the media), and the behaviour of the portable wicket on the fifth day. Dried of all moisture, it was powdery and Saqlain Mushtaq and young pacer Mohammad Sami played havoc. The two between them ripped the Kiwi line-up asunder to carve out a convincing win. It was high quality bowling, and the Kiwi capitulation was so complete because none of the home batsmen had the skill and application to counter it.

What a reversal of fortunes!

That Mushtaq could not weave his magic is understandable, it had much to do with the state of the turf. A wrist-spinner is less likely to succeed than a finger-spinner where the turf is first slow and with low bounce, and then all powdery, allowing the ball to grip. The former depends on the flight and loop and thus finds better purchase on bouncier tracks while the latter bowling on a lower trajectory is most likely to return with a bagful of wickets on the kind of turf Auckland offered. So Saqlain's success and Mushtaq's lack of it came as no real surprise.

In the circumstances, the tour selection committee faces the dilemma of whether to continue with a pair of pacers and the same duo of spinners, or maybe replace Mushtaq with Arshad. Another possibility is going for a three-pronged pace attack with Saqlain the lone spinner. Being too far away from the scene, I would rather hold judgment on what is right.

How to man the bowling attack is not the tour selection committee's only difficulty. Inzamam has declared himself fit, while experienced Ijaz Ahmed has been recalled and sent all the way to New Zealand as reinforcement. Inzamam would most likely replace Misbah-ul-Haq, but who can be pushed to the sidelines to accommodate Ijaz? A tricky question, indeed.

A word about Sami. The teenager, though slight of physique, has a fine run-up and a smooth action. He has done remarkably well on his debut, and on a wicket that was not really helpful for his type of bowling. That means that on a lively wicket he could do even more serious damage. It is early days, yet one thing is clear. While he is nippy off the wicket, and his inswinger is extremely good, he needs to develop his outswinger further. I'm sure he would, for class batsmen tend to sort out one-dimensional bowlers.

Sami was awarded with the Player of the Match trophy, which I believe should have been shared - between him and Younis Khan. While the debutants generally did well, Younis was the leading light. But for him, Pakistan may not have managed to put up those really decent totals twice, and to me he was the prime architect of the victory.

On the whole, the credit should go to the PCB for having faith in youth and blooding it, but above all for investing in it by getting it trained properly through such distinguished coaches as Geoff Boycott. The youngsters have shown that such investment pays dividends. Having said this, I must quickly add that the full measure of this investment in technical correction and guidance has not yet been realised.

That will come in the fullness of time, as the youngsters take time to fully learn the ramifications of what they have been taught and applying it in international cricket.

This is why I am all for such exercises, and it really makes me happy that the PCB is continuing with such ventures, with Jonty Rhodes apparently being contacted for a coaching assignment in the area of fielding and Boycott also being brought over for another stint. These efforts, I believe, would definitely pay-off; we have seen but only a dress rehearsal at Auckland.

Ed: Salahuddin Ahmed (Sallu) is a former Test cricketer, and has served as a PCB selector nine times; his last stint (1999-2000) was as chief selector.

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