Karachi, Feb 15 - Former Pakistan bowling coach and leading biomechanics expert Daryl Foster has claimed that he would have certainly picked Saeed Ajmal after Mohammad Hafeez had to withdraw due to injury, as he believes that quality spin would play a decisive role in Australia and New Zealand.

Although there is a popular notion that wickets in Australia are conductive to pace bowling alone, Foster believes otherwise and claims that good quality spin bowling would be key in the World Cup.

Foster, who worked with Pakistan in three stints between 2001 and 2004, said that the perception among visiting teams of fast and bouncy pitches was true to some extent but often captains made the mistake of packing too many pacemen in the side, The Dawn reported.

Foster expressed his surprise over Pakistan not picking spin maestro Ajmal after the bowler was cleared by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for his remodeled bowling action.

Foster said that he certainly would have picked Ajmal after Hafeez, unfortunately, had to withdraw. He added that the ace off-spinner is a match winner and if anything could upset teams like Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, who he regards as the favourites, it is good quality spin bowling.

Foster claimed that visiting teams imagine that Australian and New Zealand wickets would all be fast and bouncy but that is not always the case. He added that quality spin bowling always has a decisive role to play.

Foster said that he saw no reason why Pakistan would not pick Ajmal despite him not having played international cricket since August 2014.

He claimed that Ajmal has proven himself to be the best spinner in World cricket in all forms of the game so why, unless he is injured, wouldn't they select him.

And in the absence of key spinners, Foster believes that the enigmatic all-rounder Shahid Afridi would play a vital role for Pakistan. (ANI)