Inzamam requests quick pitches to train on
Newly appointed Pakistan chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq has stressed the importance of providing seaming pitches for the team’s preparations ahead of their tour to England next month.
Pakistan are ranked above England on the ICC test rankings but they will be mindful of the threat posed by a resurgent England team on home soil, and as a result Inzamam has requested that the PCB’s chief curator prepare wickets similar to those that will be encountered on tour when the players gather in Lahore for a training camp on the 29th of May.
The former Pakistan star has also managed to persuade the PCB to send the players on tour a couple of weeks earlier to set up a camp in Hampshire, allowing the players to become accustomed to the conditions in England ahead of the first matches in late June.
A source within the PCB has intimated to PTI that India’s defeat in the test series in England in 2014 should serve as a warning to Pakistan that even the best batting line-up can come unstuck facing England in conditions that they are not overly familiar with.
Inzamam has, according to the source, also been impressed by England’s recent test form after seeing how they dominated the test series against South Africa away from home and is keen to ensure the side goes through adequate preparation ahead of a difficult tour.
The source has claimed Pakistan will be lifted by the quality of their bowling attack, saying, "the bowling has enough depth to cause problems for the English batsmen, something that other teams which have played against England have lacked notably when India lost in 2014."
Inzamam will be hopeful that left arm pace man Muhammad Aamir will be granted a travel visa allowing him to take part in the tour five years after a match fixing scandal saw the promising fast bowler banned for five years.
Pakistan’s ability to adapt to the English conditions will be critical if they are to overcome England in England, with many critics highlighting that Pakistan have not played test cricket outside of Asia since the 2012/2013.
While Pakistan are ranked number three in the world at the moment, many of their best performances have come in conditions that were heavily batsmen-friendly and only time will tell if they can adapt and overcome the English conditions.
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