Misbah admits S Africa poses a big challenge

AFP/Karachi

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq yesterday admitted his team’s series next month against top-ranked South Africa poses the biggest challenge of his three-year tenure.

Pakistan play three Tests, the first starting in Johannesburg on February 1, followed by two Twenty20 internationals and five one-day matches.

Since taking over as captain after the spot-fixing controversy in England in 2010, Misbah has led Pakistan admirably, squaring Test series against South Africa (2010) and the West Indies before beating Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka (all in 2011) and routing then world-number-one England 3-0 in January last year.

He has lost only one Test series, in Sri Lanka last year.

But Misbah said playing a Test series in South Africa will be a sterner challenge. “A Test series in South Africa will be one of the biggest challenges of my captaincy tenure but I am confident that if Pakistan plays to its potential then we can pose a serious challenge to South Africa,” Misbah told reporters.

Misbah said Pakistan, ranked fourth in Test cricket, face tough conditions in South Africa where wickets are greener and bouncier than back home.

“The conditions in South Africa will be different because we have mostly played our cricket in Asia and our home series in United Arab Emirates, so we have to cope with that also” said Misbah.

With international cricket suspended in Pakistan since a terror attack targeted the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009, Misbah has not led Pakistan in any home Test matches.

He said: “The last few years have been a big challenge for Pakistan cricket and the players have come through well most of the time.

“But this is a tour where we have to play our best cricket and I am confident that players will do that.” 

Pakistan’s much-vaunted bowling attack would be key to their success, he added. 

“We have a balanced bowling attack and until now our spinners have come through for us,” said Misbah of spin duo Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman who shared 43 wickets between them against England last year.

“I think it is the turn of the pace bowlers to deliver. I am confident that players like Umar Gul and Junaid Khan will be our strike bowlers and we have a good spin backup in Saeed Ajmal,” he said.

Besides Gul and Khan, Pakistan have selected lanky paceman Mohammad Irfan and rookie uncapped fast bowler Ehsan Adil for the tour.

Misbah said Pakistan needed to play at its best to compete against South Africa.

“South Africa is world’s best team and have one of the best pace attacks in the world so we have to be at our best. If we can post decent totals in the Tests I know our bowlers will deliver,” said Misbah.

Pricing law

a ray of hope

for residents

The consideration by the Qatari cabinet of a draft law to fix the pricing of essential commodities this week is a ray of hope for the country’s residents. The cabinet meeting on Thursday looked into amending some provisions of the Law No (12) of 1972 by setting the maximum prices of some commodities and services.

The new move also envisages giving the employees at the authorised department of the Ministry of Business and Trade the status of a legal trustee or administrator.

Prices have been steadily rising in Qatar as huge infrastructure-project building has gained speed. The country is planning to spend tens of billions of dollars on railways, roads, utilities and facilities by 2020, to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022. As the population of the country rises, the pressure on food stocks is bound to increase as well.

The average weekly grocery bill in Doha these days, which would include essentials such as eggs, milk, flour, rice, meat and poultry products, can easily come up to QR300.

Last year, the Planning Authority of Qatar forecast that GDP, adjusted for inflation, would expand to 4.8%, up from the 4.5% that was predicted in June. Consumer price inflation was expected to increase to 3.5% in 2013 from 2% last year.

As residential rents go up, any measure to stop the economy from overheating would be welcome. The country is now home to 1.83mn people as of 2012. Most of the new entrants are foreign workers who have been contracted to work on the projects related to the World Cup.

However, the need to monitor prices is just one part of the equation. The marketing methods used by retailers in Qatar also need to be more carefully scrutinised. A consumer protection authority check on the actual savings of the “bogof” (Buy One, Get One Free) offers would be a good place to start.

In general, the spending habits of residents in Gulf countries have changed over the decades as what may be called disposable income is also on the rise. The 2012 National Bonds GCC Savings Index late last year found that over 70% of the Arabian Gulf’s residents do not save, with Qatar showing the biggest decrease in the saving sentiment.

About 84% of Qataris did not believe that their savings were adequate and their major expense was on eating out.

So while the government may want to stabilise the issue of price-rise or at least make it less of a burden, the real change would lie in the attitude of the spenders.

Price controls will no doubt have a knock-on effect on the catering business as well, which seems to be thriving despite the rise in ingredient prices.

Long seen as a haven for tax-free savings, the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) has supported foreign workers for decades. Controlling inflation will be key for this to continue.