Pakistan vs England in UAE 2012

[DexteR]

Welcome to the Discussion Thread for
Pakistan vs England
Cricket Series to be played in UAE

Here is the schedule

3 Tests, 4 ODI and 3 T20 Matches to be played from January 17, 2012 to February 27, 2012

[Sadaf Gondal]

2 din reh gay

[DexteR]

Experience gives Pakistan the edge

Mohammad Hafeez has predicted Pakistan's spinners can out-bowl their English counterparts and make the difference in the forthcoming Test series.

Hafeez, Pakistan's opening batsman and off-spinner, said their spin attack has already shown its mettle in the UAE, where conditions are expected to offer little assistance to England's faster bowlers.

"We have the best spinners in the world," he said. "They have done well here in the last few games and the conditions should suit them. The important thing is that we have bowlers who can take 20 wickets. We showed that in the Tests we played last year."

England's spinner Graeme Swann has poked fun at Saeed Ajmal's claim that he has developed a new delivery but Hafeez said he had faced the 'teesra' in the nets and said that Pakistan's off-spinner had produced something "a bit different; a new weapon".

"It will be something new in cricket," Hafeez said. "He has worked on it a lot for the last six to eight months, but not bowled it internationally. It means he has a new weapon and, because of his extraordinary work, he has command over it. I don't want to reveal anything; you'll get to see it soon."

Hafeez accepted Pakistan are more familiar with the conditions, but he he played down the notion of home advantage. "We have an edge in that we are more familiar with the conditions. We played a tough series against Sri Lanka a few months back and the conditions are favourable, but we'll have to play good cricket."

Since returning to the UAE in November 2010 Pakistan have not lost any of their five Tests. They drew 0-0 with South Africa in their first series back in the region before beating Sri Lanka 1-0 in October 2011.

"Dubai is not in Pakistan," Hafeez said. "You miss your own crowd. When you play in Pakistan the crowds back you all the time. The conditions are totally different. We as a team have done well in the last year-and-a-half and we deserve credit for doing that in neutral venues."

Continuity of selection was a prime reason, he said, why there was an improved spirit within the Pakistan side. "One thing is for sure. When you play as a team your performance gets better and better. We have the plus point that the same six batsmen are playing. We know each other and that is good for partnerships.

[Nida_Ali_Nido]

kAl match hy kal match hy

[DexteR]

Series opener an appetising prospect

Match facts
Tuesday, January 17, Dubai International Cricket Stadium
Start time 1000 (0600 GMT)

Big Picture
History will hang heavily over this series. Three Pakistan players are serving custodial sentences after being found guilty on match-rigging charges during the 2010 series in England. However much England suggest that the affair is now largely a media obsession and Pakistan provide indications of more stable and contented times, such matters cannot be easily waved aside.

That Pakistan recover their strength and reputation is vital for the health of world cricket and England have been reminded of their responsibilities to contest the series in a natural manner and to rise above any resentment, which does exist, over what has gone before without losing the competitive and aggressive edge that has contributed to their rise to the No. 1 Test side in the world.

Pakistan are careful not to speak of "home advantage" because Dubai, however much the conditions might be similar to those in Lahore or Karachi, is simply not home. But sub-consciously England feel themselves in an away series, not a neutral one. Their policy of six specialist batsmen, three pace bowlers and a solitary spinner automatically comes under strain on placid surfaces and the loss of Tim Bresnan, the most capable batsmen in their lower order, does not make a change of tack easy.

Test series between Pakistan and England have often been wonderfully combative affairs. As long as the pitches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi encourage attractive cricket, it is an appealing prospect.

Form guide
Pakistan: WWDWD
England: WWWWW
Players to watch
Saeed Ajmal has enlivened the build-up to the Test by announcing, Shane Warne-style, that he is about to unleash a formidable new delivery. The doosra - "the other one" - is about to be supported by the teesra - "the third one".

Whatever the impact of that proves to be, Ajmal will test England's improvement against spin bowling to the utmost. For England, Stuart Broad will be desperate to escape the run of injuries that have disrupted his progress over the past year. A bruised foot suffered when batting in the nets is unlikely to hinder him, but it gives a further impression of vulnerability that he could do without.

Team news
Any temptation that England felt to abandon their policy of six batsmen disappeared the moment that Tim Bresnan, the sturdiest batsman among the bowling attack, left the tour through injury. To include Monty Panesar as a second spinner would therefore entail perming three fast bowlers from six. In the first Test at least, they are likely to exclude Panesar and stick to a proven formula.

Pakistan (probable) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Taufeeq Umar, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Adnam Akmal (wk), 8 Abdur Rehman, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Wahab Riaz

England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Chris Tremlett

Pitch and conditions
England are bracing themselves for a demanding bowling experience on a benign surface in ferociously hot conditions. The two Tests played at the DICS so far don't entirely support that view with only one total so far in excess of 400.

Stats and trivia
England are sure to remain top of the ICC Test Championship if they do not lose to Pakistan by more than a one-Test margin in the three-Test series.

[DexteR]

Players must help in fight against corruption - Strauss

Andrew Strauss has called upon any player with information about corruption in English cricket to come forward and talk to the ECB.

Strauss, the England captain, urged players to "do what is right for cricket" and utilise the three-month amnesty recently imposed by the ECB after the conviction of the former Es+++ seam bowler Mervyn Westfield on corruption charges.

Strauss warned against assuming the case was the only one of its kind after the the former Es+++ seam bowler Mervyn Westfield pleaded guilty to corruption charges.

"It took me completely by surprise when the allegations first came out and I've certainly not witnessed anything in my time," Strauss said. "But let's not be arrogant and just assume it's not there because clearly there has been an incident and if there has been one incident then there is a fair chance that there have been others."

Strauss was speaking ahead of the start of England's Test series against Pakistan. Past series between these teams have been littered with controversy and players on both sides have been talking of moving on from previous animosity, with Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan's captain, appealing to England to forget the spot-fixing scandal of their last tour.

"The ECB have provided an amnesty for players to come forward in the next three months and I'd urge them to do that if they do have any information. If it is there, we need to root it out. We need to get it dealt with and move on. If you want world cricket to be in good order then you have to make sure your own house is clean first."

"I think there is a lot more awareness now on the back of what has happened in the last couple of years. But it's something we have to always be vigilant about," Strauss said. "Obviously we have heavy schedules internationally and domestically and, with heavy schedules, there is always the opportunity for people to think that one game is less important than another and that therefore they might be able to benefit from it.

"I've no idea if other players have information or not, but I urge them to come forward if they do. If there is a problem there we need to see the extent of the problem and take steps to clean it up. This is not the time to show loyalty to teammates or friends or people you know. This is the time to do what is right for the game of cricket.

Meanwhile Tony Palladino, the former teammate who blew the whistle on Westfield, has also warned against assuming that the incident was a one-off. "You'd be a fool to think spot-betting wasn't happening at Es+++ before, and at other counties," Palladino told the Sun. "It must have been. They've chosen county cricket because it's not as high profile as international cricket.

"What worries me is there might be other cases that have been swept under the carpet. I've spoken to international players who've been approached several times in Asia. It's rife out there.

"The guys most at risk are in Merv's situation -- young, in the first team, but not earning much money. Merv could have gone on to play for England but he made a bad decision and for £6,000 he's lost his career. It's such a waste."

[DexteR]

What a start by Pakistan.
England 52/5 at lunch
Saeed Ajmal 5 overs 5 runs and 3 wickets
Muhammad Hafeez 5 overs 3 runs and 1 wicket
Aizaz Cheema 6 overs 26 runs and 1 wicket
Hafeez

[DexteR]

England All Out for 192
Saeed Ajmal 7 Wickets
Prior 70 (not Out)

[sheem]

wah g wah kiya baat hai saeed ajmal ki

waise aab is pe gore kareinge sahi kuch na kuch rehne nahi dete yeh us bowler ko jis ka yeh samna nahi kar sakte

but well done Pakistan

[Sadaf Gondal]

jub tak pura test match khatam na ho, tub tak kuch nahi kaho gayi

[DexteR]

jub tak pura test match khatam na ho, tub tak kuch nahi kaho gayi

Especially in case of Pakistan.