Pitch Report: Dubai International stadium

Cricket365
October 21, 2015

Established: 2009
Capacity: 25 000
Floodlights: Yes
Ends: Emirates Road End, Dubai Sports City End
Home Team: Pakistan
Test history: 8 Test matches (2 draws, 4 wins home team, 2 wins visitors)
8 Tosses: 6 batted first (2 win, 1 draw, 3 defeats), 2 bowled first (1 win, 1 draw)

Overview

The Dubai International Stadium which was formerly known as the Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium has hosting capabilities for football, basketball, ice hockey, volleyball, and hand-ball and netball facilities.

The 25 000-seater has an impressive 350 floodlights and has a capacity which is expandable to 30 000 spectators. The first ever Test match at the grounds in 2010 ended in a draw between South Africa and Pakistan.

Last Test match

The last match, in November 2014, between Pakistan and New Zealand ended in a draw after the latter won the toss and opted to bat.

In their first innings New Zealand posted a score of 403 all out and 250 runs declared in their second innings.

Pakistan responded with 393 runs in their first innings and in their second innings batted out the fifth day to a score of 196 for five to force the draw.

Pakistan had lost three wickets for five runs after lunch in the gruelling match, but recovered to bat out a draw after winning the first match.

Asad Shafiq and Younis Khan had a 74-run stand to steer Pakistan back to a favourable position after a tough start to the day.

This came after a mini-collapse which saw Pakistan lose three quick wickets that saw them go from a score of 70 for one to 75 for four in a quick-fire session.

Pakistan record at the ground

The ground has favoured the Pakistanis more often than not winning four matches, drawing two and losing two at the grounds. In the two previous matches at the grounds between England and Pakistan, it was the home side (Pakistan) who walked away victors with an emphatic 10 wicket victory in January 2012 and then a 71 run win that year again in February.

Weather

Conditions are going to be characteristically hot and dry for all five days, with temperature peaking at 35 degrees Celsius.

Quotable Quotes

Yasir Shah, Pakistan's legspinner said: "I have watched the Ashes when Warne was bowling and I noticed that they are weak against leg-spin. So I have watched those videos and have tried to bowl like that in the nets. I am hopeful I will bowl well.

Pakistan captain, Misbah-ul-Haq said: "He (Yasir) is back and that's a good sign for us. We missed him a lot in the first Test and his return will give us that boost in the spin bowling.

"We really need to pull up our socks, and the kind of fight England put, we need to match them. I have confidence in my players that they can do that."

Conclusion

The slow pace of the pitch combined with the perennial dry and scorching heat in Dubai has historically worked for Pakistan.

But after the close first Test match last week that went down to the wire and ended in a draw, England will be emboldened to go for the win.

England captain Alastair Cook scored 263 runs in the first Test where Pakistan narrowly escaped defeat after an extraordinary second-innings collapse in which they were bowled out for 173 on the last day.