Sarfraz hoped for Ganguly ton

If he had got a century here, he would have silenced his critics and that includes Chappell," said the 57-year-old swing bowler.

When former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly fell for 37 in India's second innings on the penultimate day of the third Test here on Wednesday he fell short by 63 runs of the century former Pakistani speedster Sarfraz Nawaz had hoped he would score.

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"I will be very happy if Ganguly scores a century here," Sarfraz had said, even as India struggled to save the Test.

Widely known for his candid opinions on anything to do with cricket, Sarfraz felt a Ganguly century would silence his critics, including India team coach Greg Chappell.

"If he gets a century here, he would silence his critics and that includes Chappell," said the 57-year-old swing bowler who opened the attack with the legendary Imran Khan in 1970s.

Sarfraz, who is here as a television commentator, was known to have the uncanny knack of picking up the one ball from amongst a dozen new balls that would swing the most. Even Imran has acknowledged this fact.

Asked how he used to pick up the ball, he said: "It depended on the weight and feel of the ball. If I felt good about the weight of the ball and if it was bone dry I would pick it up," he said.