Curator's advice did the trick for Pakistan

Woolmer was advised against using a heavy roller to exploit the conditions.

National Stadium chief curator Ehsan Arain's advice not to use the heavy roller on the pitch seems to have done the trick for the Pakistan cricket team in the just concluded Test against India.

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Arain apparently advised Pakistan national team coach Bob Woolmer against using the heavy roller, as there was still adequate moisture under the surface for the host seamers to exploit, Pakistani daily The News reported on Friday.

The Pakistani team management heeded the valuable piece of advice and reaped rich dividends as both Mohammad Asif and Abdul Razzaq got the ball to move off the wicket in the final innings dismissing India for a paltry 265 chasing a mammoth 607 for a win.

Arain used the traditional method of assessing the moisture content in the pitch - a crucial factor for fast bowlers to get movement off the wicket - by inserting a long screwdriver into the wicket and found that there was still plenty of moisture available for the bowlers to exploit.

To Pakistan's fortune, even India did not opt for the heavy roller when they went in to bat in the final innings and the Pakistani quicks had a field day getting amongst the wickets.