Saeed Ajmal has said that he wanted to “smash James Anderson’s head” with his bat during a Test match between Pakistan and England at Edgbaston in 2010.
The former off-spinner was referring to a period in that match when the England bowlers delivered a barrage of bouncers to him. Ajmal was not impressed by the fact that Anderson and Co were attacking him despite him being a tailender.
“When they [England] took the new ball, Anderson came up to me and said ‘are you ready for bouncers?’ and I told him that I don’t know English. I thought he was joking since I am a tailender and he would probably bowl straight and get me out,” said Ajmal in a YouTube video.
“But they fired a barrage of bouncers at me. When I got hit by six or seven bouncers, I told Zulqarnain [Haider] that I want to smash Anderson’s head with my bat. Then I decided to go for my shots. I tried to step out of my crease and hit a couple of bouncers. Then the ball started coming on to my bat.”
Ajmal managed to score a half-century in that innings but that didn’t stop England from registering a nine-wicket victory. Pakistan batted first in that match but were shot out for just 72, with Anderson and Stuart Broad picking for wickets each.
England replied with 251 runs and then bowled-out Pakistan for 296, before chasing down the target of 118 with the loss of just one wicket. Off-spinner Graeme Swann was given the player of the match award for picking six wickets in Pakistan’s second innings, the one in which Ajmal scored 50 off 79.
England had won that four-Test series against Pakistan 3-1.