Pakistani off spinner Saeed Ajmal vows to target 'swashbuckling' Chris Gayle in Champions Trophy

Pakistani off spinner Saeed Ajmal has said that he will be targeting West Indies star Chris Gayle when the two sides meet in the Champions Trophy next month.

Pakistan is currently featuring in a tune-up camp in Abbottabad hoping to match conditions in England where the eight-nation Trophy will be played from June 6-23, Sport24 reports.

Stating that the match will be an encounter between the 'swashbuckler' Gayle and Pakistani bowlers, Ajmal, who will secure Pakistan's spin department in the tournament, said that he hopes to restrain the Jamaican, who is in a great form in the ongoing Indian Premier League, having smashed a world record 175 not out.

According to Ajmal, they are practising and finding out methods to rein in Gayle by watching videos of him batting, adding Gayle has been playing in a laudable manner.

Stating that he hopes to perform in the unfamiliar English conditions, Ajmal, who has the second best record of wickets in Twenty20 cricket behind countryman Umar Gul, said that he has to work hard and bowl well to combat the hard hits of the opposing batsmen.

Ajmal further said that Pakistan will miss injured paceman Umar Gul and leg-spinner Shahid Afridi, who has been left out of the squad, although he added that the team is balanced and have good bowlers in Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Irfan and Abdul Rehman.

Pakistan will also face South Africa on June 10 and arch-rivals India on June 15 — both at Birmingham.

Defending champions Australia, England, Sri Lanka and New Zealand feature in group A. Top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals, the report added.