Pakistan’s lanky pacer Mohammad Irfan dismissed reports that he was not fully fit for the 1st Test against South Africa after he suffered cramps and had to go off the field for a brief period on the first day.
Irfan, who bowled a fiery spell in the morning session of first day on a lifeless Abu Dhabi pitch, finished with figures of 3-44 after picking up the scalp of centurion Hashim Amla whose brilliant knock pushed South Africa to 249 on day two.
“The cramp has nothing to do with fitness and there was nothing to worry about it. I didn’t drink as much water as I should have in these conditions and that was the only problem,” he added.
Irfan, the tallest ever player at 2.1 metres, felt he was fitter than ever before after putting in the hard yards at the National Cricket Academy.
“After coming back from the Zimbabwe tour, I really worked hard on my fitness with my coach.”
The left-arm pacer was originally left out of the Test probables amid concerns of his fitness and the harsh conditions in the UAE.
“There’s a big question mark over playing Irfan in a Test,” Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq had said.
But fast bowler was later included in the squad on the recommendation of bowling coach Mohammad Akram.
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