Former Pakistani Legends criticise England

Javed Miandad, the former Pakistan captain, believes England's ranking in Test cricket (No. 1)does not show their actual status after their defeat inside three days against Pakistan in Dubai.

Javed Miandad

Miandad had been one of England's biggest opponents in his playing days and he did so again when he suggested England's rise to the top of the rankings owed much to home advantage.

"I don't believe much in rankings because it doesn't give a clear picture of the team's overall performance in the world," Miandad said.

"England is mainly the top side without playing in Asia and you must give credit to Pakistan that they have been playing with no home advantage and still they are winning. England are now the No. 1 team because they had the home advantage and never lost in their backyard."

Miandad, who made 260 against England at The Oval in 1987 as Pakistan piled up 708, freely admitted that victories against them had a special piquancy.

"I always feel an extra sense of satisfaction when Pakistan beat England or Australia - it always carries a special importance," he said. "Practically everything clicked against England. A circle that includes every aspect of the game rotated smoothly. Batsman scored runs; bowlers did accordingly to the expectations."

Abdul Qadir, a former Pakistan leg-spinner and selector, also criticised England of having lost in such an "unprofessional manner".

"I was never expecting that England could go that low, to be packed up in just three days," Qadir said. "The most pathetic things I observed about the England batting was that on the first day, when fast-bowlers were supposed to take wickets they were exposed by spinners and later on in the second innings, when the spinners were supposed to dominate they fell into the hands of fast bowlers.

Waqar Younis, Pakistan's former fast bowler and coach, said that the spot-fixing scandal had made the players perform better.

"I'm really proud of the way they've responded to all the criticism and scepticism that they had to deal with after the spot-fixing scandal," he said. "The players were determined to show everyone what Pakistan cricket is all about after the scandal. They realised that the only way to respond to the crisis was to perform well and let the results speak for themselves."