Saqlain to join England team as Spin bowling consultant for the upcoming India tour
Former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq will assist the England team in the upcoming India tour as a spin bowling consultant. Considering the inexperience of English spinners in subcontinent conditions, Mushtaq’s experience may come in handy for the visitors.
Earlier, Saqlain worked with the English team for a short stint during the home Test series against Pakistan. The ECB has him roped him in an effort to utilize the experience of the former Pakistani great in the tour to India and the Visa problem which was initially occurred was also sorted out. He will join the team for the tour on November 2 in Mumbai, a week ahead of the first Test between both the nations in Rajkot.
England have three spinners in their arsenal- Gareth Batty, Adil Rashid and Zafar Ansari. Gareth Batty made a comeback after a gap of a decade in the Bangladesh tour, whereas Adil Rashid has played just a single Test. Surrey spinner Zafar Ansari made his debut against Bangladesh in the second Test of the series where he picked two wickets.
Saqlain will also help English batsmen work out methods of attack against spin bowling. He has previously worked as a spin consultant with New Zealand and West Indies.