Waqar Younis firmly believes Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson is still miles away from being compared with Pakistan left-arm pace legend Wasim Akram.
While conceding that Johnson is a fantastic bowler and has shown marked improvement recently, the former Pakistan pace ace is not willing to speak about him in the same breath as Akram.
Younis should know because he himself is a fast bowling great and bowled in tandem with Akram for 61 Tests with both sharing over 550 wickets, which crowned them as ‘Sultans of Swing’.
While Younis ended with 373 wickets from 87 Tests, Akram finished with 414 scalps under his belt from 104 Tests.
They undoubtedly rank among the greatest fast bowlers in Test history and Johnson is making a strong bid to join that group with his recent displays.
The Aussie left-arm quick has taken 264 wickets in 59 Tests with 59 of those scalps claimed in his last eight matches.
The 32-year-old Queenslander will be looking to carry that form into the two-match Test series against Pakistan, starting in Dubai tomorrow. But Pakistan coach Younis is confident his team can deal with the Johnson threat.
“Mitchell Johnson has definitely changed his mode and has become a lot better and attacking bowler,” Younis said yesterday.
“We know that they are going to use him in short spells and look for wickets. We will try to tackle him the way we can.
“You cannot compare him with Wasim Akram for sure. Akram is a legend and he has done wonders for Pakistan. Johnson has got a long way to go if he wants to compete with Akram. But he is definitely a threat and a very, very fine bowler.
I would say he is the most improved bowler. “We are going to be careful. If he bowls a bad ball, we are going to deal with it.”
The build-up for the Test series has not been all that good for Pakistan as they lost a Twenty20 International and the one-day series 3-0 to the same opposition in the last fortnight.
The Australians’ winning run, however, ended when they lost a four-day match to Pakistan A by 153 runs on Saturday, which has injected fresh optimism in the Pakistan camp with Younis claiming he has detected some flaws in the opposition.
“I am quite positive that we have got the ingredients to beat the Australians. We have got the players who can do well,” Younis said.
“We have definitely seen some weaknesses. I am not going to tell you here but yes we are working on it and hopefully we will deliver the goods,” he added.
The 42-year-old, however, remained wary of the Australians.
“They are a good team, a very professional side. They have just won a series here. They know how to bat on the these pitches but we have our plans and we will try to execute them,” he added.
