South African captain Graeme Smith said Inzamam-ul-Haq's swansong in international cricket could distract Pakistan in their must-win second Test starting in Lahore on Monday. The tourists are 1-0 up in the two-match series after convincingly beating Pakistan on Friday in Karachi by 160 runs despite a pitch that was tailor-made for the home spinners.
The two teams line up for the final Test with Pakistan bolstered by the inclusion of former skipper Inzamam and keen to square the series. The 37-year-old batsman has announced he will retire from Test cricket and the Lahore Test will be his last.
"It certainly can be I guess," Smith said, when asked if Pakistan's young captain, Shoaib Malik, could be distracted by having his predecessor in the team. "They have a young captain and how he is going to manage that is going to be key for him. It can put a lot of pressure on him," said Smith.
"Inzamam carries a huge aura around him in this set-up, which I have noticed playing against Pakistan in the last two years. "It will be key how he (Malik) handles it," said Smith, under whom South Africa lost a two-match series in Pakistan four years ago.