PCB's Dream Pairs series: Former spinners Tauseef, Mushtaq choose pair

PCB's Dream Pairs series for Test players has gained great popularity among the fans, current and former players, pundits and journalists. The campaign entered its fourth phase with the fans asked to name two spin bowling pairs of their choice.

Former Test off-spinner Tauseef Ahmed named his former colleague and co-hero of the famous 1987 Bangalore Test victory Iqbal Qasim as his dream partner from yesteryears before naming former leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed as his other partner.

Tauseef Ahmed, who took 93 wickets in a 34-match-long Test career, said: "I am very lucky that in my career I played with the likes of Abdul Qadir and Iqbal Qasim. If asked to pick one spinner as my partner, I would go for Iqbal Qasim who partnered with me in the famous 1987 Bangalore Test win."

Tauseef said, "I would also like to choose Mushtaq Ahmed as my other partner. Although, I didn't play much with Mushtaq, I always admired his skills and temperament. Mushtaq was a very exciting player and never used to get fazed by any situation. He was an attacking bowler who used to take on the batsmen and crack jokes while bowling. We played together for UBL and Mushtaq's temperament and bravery always stood out for me."

Mushtaq meanwhile thanked Tauseef for nominating him as his spin bowling partner and named former off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq and the leading Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah as his two dream bowling partners.

Mushtaq Ahmed, who took 185 wickets in 52 Tests, said: "I want to thank Tauseef Ahmed for his complements for me. When I started playing for UBL he was there as a mentor, role model and someone who always supported me. Among former cricketers I would like to name Saqlain Mushtaq as my bowling partner. Although I played a few matches with Abdul Qadir, I chose Saqlain as Qadir and I were similar bowlers while Saqlain being an off-spinner provided variety."

The activity acknowledges the services of former and present stars of Pakistan cricket. Before the spinners, the campaigns for fast bowlers, openers and middle-order batting pairs received tremendous response.