Blinded by spin, Pakistan lost the contest

In between the start of the ICC World Twenty20 and South Africa's arrival at the end of September, Pakistan became a nation of spin. Recently-appointed coach Geoff Lawson, an ex-fast bowler, was excited about working with Pakistan's pace-bowling reserves when he landed: heck, that prospect was the one thing about Lawson that excited everyone, for they knew little otherwise.

But somehow, in strategy meetings for this series, consensus developed on the need to prepare turners and load up with spinners; lefties, leggies, part-timers, all of them. In Karachi , Pakistan had four options in the spin department. Shoaib Malik, ignoring history and reality, announced that spin was Pakistan's strength.

Blind to South Africa's success against Pakistan and India last year on turning tracks, and their minor victory in slowing down Muttiah Muralitharan before that, many faultily assumed the visitors would struggle against spin.

The last time Pakistan went in with a predominantly spin attack was in 2001-01 against touring England - those tragic spin victims - and the strategy backfired spectacularly. Pakistan's celebrated spinners struggled to take wickets quickly and an unheralded, derided English left-arm spinner trumped them all with 17 from three Tests. In a different spirit, the very same happened this time; England stole it, South Africa dominated it, and both won it.

More than the lack of preparation time, switch of format, unsettled line-ups, absences, late pull-outs or dropped chances, this faith in spin cost Pakistan.

Not on the surface, for Abdur Rehman and Danish Kaneria took 21 wickets between them. The former debuted with eight in Karachi, a commendable feat, but no more. The pitch helped and with Kaneria at the other end, Pakistan would've expected cheaper, quicker wickets. Kaneria had a poor series, though typically, he went about it manfully. Good balls and good spells were put together but yielded few wickets when it mattered. Rehman struck every 11 overs, Kaneria every 15, both at a high cost, and South Africa chuckled.

Worse still, in all this, were the two pace bowlers. Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul morphed into Abid Ali and Eknath Solkar instead of the most promising young new-ball pairing in the game. Like the 1970s Indian pair, their only function appeared to be to make the ball older and softer for the spinners. Both off-colour and flat, they were about as successful as the Indian pair were.

The positive to come out of the lost series was, unusually, in the batting. Three opening pairs in four innings posted two half-century starts, which is a bonus. Kamran Akmal fought hard as makeshift opener, but he now resembles a Pakistani Parthiv Patel. His keeping was as flimsy as his batting was bright, so what is to be done with him? On away tours he is unlikely to open, but likely to spill chances, which is an answer in itself. He contributed more than Salman Butt, however, who gave vice-captains the world over a bad name with his phantom-like presence in the series.

Pakistan will take heart mostly from the form shown by Younis Khan and return of Mohammad Yousuf. Younis was in a strange mood - more hurried, more distant on the field - yet he produced, by a distance, the two most colourful hundreds of the series.

As he put on yet another handy partnership with Yousuf on the final day at Lahore, Pakistan's batting world appeared in order. Importantly, for his future and that of Pakistan, Malik didn't look entirely out of place in that order of things, indeed bringing to it some steel.

The inclusion of Inzamam-ul-Haq in the final Test necessitated serious re-jigging; it fatally skewered the balance but his spot is still there to be scrapped over. Other than not getting past 41 and playing the loosest shots every time he was set, Misbah-ul-Haq did nothing wrong. His place looks secure enough.

None of this is to take away from South Africa, who were comfortably the better side, with better plans, and more with it. Winning nine of ten days of cricket is emphatic enough and certainly enough for a startling statistic: this was now Pakistan's eighth home series loss in 18 since 1995-96. Between 1969-70 and 1995-96, they lost just once.

But how might Pakistan have fared with a third pace option - even an all-round option - on pitches not so conducive to turn? Thrice in recent memory have seam-friendly pitches been prepared in Pakistan - against India in Lahore 2004 and Karachi in 2006 and against Sri Lanka at Karachi in 2004. Pakistan won all three Tests. Once they did so opening the bowling with Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Riaz Afridi. Even their most celebrated home win in recent years, against England in 2005, was built on pace.

The sooner that is understood, the better for Pakistan.