Pakistan openers get helping hand for England tour

SIALKOT, Pakistan, June 1 (Reuters) The Pakistan opening batsmen are to have a extra weapon with which to counter the England seam attack during the test series starting next month.

Shoaib Malik, Imran Farhat and Salman Butt are to get special bats made to try to help them counter the unfamiliar pitch conditions.

''There is always some sideways movement in England. These lightweight bats with a soft press and special blade will make things more comfortable for our players,'' Fayyaz Ahmed, a consultant for MT Techniques, told Reuters today.

Ahmed works out of a small factory in Sialkot, which is famous for manufacturing sports goods including cricket gear.

''The idea is to make bats for Malik and the others with which they feel more comfortable. Their bats will be ready to use but have more punch and their handles will also be more shock absorbent,'' said Ahmed, a former first-class player.

MT techniques also works to produce hand-crafted bats with Australian company Kookaburra.

These include the controversial graphite-reinforced model used by Australia captain Ricky Ponting which was withdrawn in February following a ruling by the International Cricket Council.

REUTERS PM PM1301