Pakistan's drop in pace 'surprises' Australian cricketer

Pakistan's faltering bowling speed is the new talk of the town among the cricketing circles as the national side pacers struggle to make an impact in ongoing Test series against Australia, and the latest to comment on the matter is Mitchel Starc.

The Australian left-arm pacer voiced surprise at the drop in Pakistani bowlers' pace, something the which is considered a key asset for the team.

Speaking to the media at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) ahead of the second Test, the left-arm pacer voiced surprise at the drop in Pakistani bowlers' pace during the first Test in Perth, which the home side won by a whopping 360-run to lead the three-match series 1-0.

Pakistan, known for their fierce pace attack, couldn’t trouble the Australian batters in the first match. However, two debutants, Aamer Jamal and Khurram Shazad, showed some positive signs but it was not enough, as their batting collapsed incompetently during the chase.

"I think everyone was slightly surprised at the slower pace of the Pakistan bowlers when you're generally used to some guys getting in the 150s [kph]. I don't think that pace is the be-all and end-all but it certainly plays a part and can help," Starc said.

The 33-year-old, however, emphasised that pace is not the only factor citing his fellow Australian Scott Boland’s example saying he doesn’t always bowl with maximum pace, but knows how to trouble the batters with line and length.

"Case in point, you look at Scotty Boland who can bowl good wheels, but he's not at your top end of pace bowlers. But he generates a lot of sideways movement here in Melbourne, obviously being his home ground.

"He's done it for a long time and we saw that obviously against England, where every ball he bowled could have been a wicket. So I don't think that pace is the be-all and end-all. Certainly, for our attack we all complement each other really well by doing things very differently," he added.

Squads for the second Test:

Australia: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner

Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Sarfaraz Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Aamer Jamal, Sajid Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz.