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

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England labelled a 'real test' by Afridi

Shahid Afridi is expecting England to be a "real test" for Pakistan when they arrive in UAE next month although Pakistan's recent form against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will leave them in good heart ahead of the opening Test in Dubai on January 17.

On the eve of their Test series against Bangladesh, Pakistan have won every trophy that has been available to them since sharing the Tests against West Indies, in the Caribbean, last May. However, that has included success against lower-ranked opponents including Ireland, Zimbabwe and now a struggling Bangladesh.

Afridi will not be part of the Test team having retired from the format but is back as a key member of the limited-overs outfits and is aware that the visit of England will be a step up from their recent opposition. England are ranked No. 1 in both Tests and Twenty20 although remain mid-table in 50-over cricket following their 5-0 whitewash against India.

"Winning [throughout the year] gave us a momentum and moral is high," Afridi told reporters at airport on his return from Dhaka. "We have developed a winning unit but it will be exciting when we face England and that would be a real test. Playing against team like England or Australia is very exciting and then we will see where we stand."

Intikhab Alam, the former Pakistan coach, also believes the winning momentum will serve Pakistan well. "We are coming in with a lot of victories under our belt and every player is laden with confidence," Alam told ESPNcricinfo. "But we have to be wary about our upcoming series against England. We definitely need to work harder in various departments."

Spin-bowling is likely to play a major role in the series and Pakistan are well stocked in that department with Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman and Mohammad Hafeez having all made an impact in recent months.

"We have two outstanding spinners and that's could make a clear difference. With the bowling unit we can bowl out any team in the world twice," Alam said. "But I again insist that fitness and fielding are the vital aspect and you can't even afford to miss the half chances against a team like England. We are not a bad side if we make an analysis between our players and theirs we have got fair chance of beating them."

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Panesar positioned well for England recall

England will name their Test squad to face Pakistan in UAE on Friday as they embark on the challenge of maintaining the No. 1 ranking. In 2011 they played eight Tests, winning six and drawing two, but in 2012 that number swells to 15 so the much-vaunted depth of England's resources will be tested again.

A mark of England's success in climbing the rankings has been how seamlessly players have slotted in when changes have been made through form or injury, Chris Tremlett and Tim Bresnan being the stand-out examples. The players who are currently outside a likely first-choice eleven are vital to the make-up of the squad. If the selectors follow the same pattern as for Australia they will favour those players ready to step up to Test level at a moment's notice rather than those with potential in the future. The England Lions trips of the subcontinent will allow those players on the fringe to play regular cricket in case reinforcements are required.

The key position is which spinner (or even spinners) accompanies Graeme Swann in the squad. There needs to be at least one option who, if the worst case scenario struck and Swann was ruled out of a match, could be the frontline spinner in a Test. Currently that man remains Monty Panesar who toured Australia as Swann's understudy but wasn't required. Last season he was the highest wicket-taker in Division One of the County Championship in 2011 with 69 victims at 27.24.

Scott Borthwick, the Durham legspinner, Hampshire's Danny Briggs and Simon Kerrigan from Lancashire, who took 9 for 51 against Hampshire last year, are the rising stars so it is shaping as now or never for Panesar, who has spent the last couple of months playing club cricket in Sydney, to resume his Test career.

Yet, whether Panesar makes the first eleven will depend on if Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower are willing to move away from the current balance of six batsmen, the keeper and four bowlers - albeit in conditions that haven't demanded a second spinner, or specialist fifth bowler - unless they opt for the risky strategy of two quicks and two spinners.

The prolific form of England's top five, Matt Prior's consistency in Test cricket, plus the developing allround skills of Bresnan and Stuart Broad, suggest England could cope with the shift in strategy but don't be surprised to see the balance remain the same. However, there is no doubt that at some point next year - whether in UAE, Sri Lanka or India - England will need two spinners in the same attack.

England's previous Test team, against India at The Oval in August, was without Jonathan Trott due to injury and Ravi Bopara was in the middle order. Trott, the ICC International Cricketer of the Year, will be back at No. 3 against Pakistan and Eoin Morgan will expect to retain his spot if he completes a successful recovery from the shoulder surgery that ruled him out of the one-day tour of India.

At the end of England's home season Bopara's stock had risen considerably after a successful one-day series against India, but the return contest on the subcontinent didn't see further development as he became one of a number of England batsmen to struggle against spin. The other options include promoting James Taylor or even taking Samit Patel to cover a number of bases with his spin bowling.

In the pace-bowling department there are plentiful options to choose from. The depth available is highlighted by Tremlett's situation. He began the year by helping seal the Ashes series then starred in the dramatic victory against Sri Lanka, at Cardiff, before bagging career-best figures of 6 for 48 at The Rose Bowl. Yet, so seamlessly did Bresnan replace him against India after injury struck that he was hardly missed.

Now, having lost his place to injury he will need someone to break down - or Bresnan to not recover from his elbow surgery - for a spot to open up. Then there's Steven Finn who was England's one bright spot during the one-day series in India. He bowled with pace and hostility having developed his game away from Test cricket and looked primed for another opportunity.

The final spot will be a reserve keeper and Steven Davies could fill the same role he did during the Ashes. That would mean only one change - Bopara for Paul Collingwood - from the original 16 that travelled to Australia last year. Davies hasn't featured for England since the one-day series in Australia, at the start of which he was omitted from the World Cup squad in favour of Prior. He scored 1035 runs at 39.80 in the County Championship for Surrey although another option could be Jonny Bairstow if the selectors want to have a look to the future.

Possible squad: Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Chris Tremlett, Steven Finn, Ravi Bopara, Monty Panesar, Steven Davies

[sheem]

ahaan nice,,,... waiting for it to start

[DexteR]

still a long way to go.

[Sadaf Gondal]

I am very excited about this series
been waiting for long;x
maza aye gaya

[Sadaf Gondal]

Misbah-ul-Haq sets sights on England

Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has already set his sights on the home series against England in the UAE, in January and February 2012, after completing a successful tour of Bangladesh. The Pakistan team returned home on Friday after winning all their matches in Bangladesh - two Tests, three ODIs and a Twenty20 international - to end a successful year.

Their next assignment is against England, the No.1 ranked Test side. Pakistan are presently No. 5, above Sri Lanka, their best rating since March 2009. "The series against England is important, and very tough," Misbah said in Lahore. "England is the world's best Test team, but on current form we can beat any team."

Since taking over the captaincy from Salman Butt, following the spot-fixing scandal on the tour of England in 2010, Misbah led Pakistan in 13 Tests, of which they won six, drew six and lost one. Misbah, however, said there was scope for improvement. "Despite achieving some good results we still need to overcome some of the mistakes we committed. The management as well as the players are determined to overcome them because England will be really tough.

"Our targets on the Bangladesh tour were to keep consistency in our performance, overcome some of the mistakes and improve our rankings, and we achieved that."

The results in Bangladesh came soon after the success against Sri Lanka in the UAE, where Pakistan won the Tests 1-0 and the ODIs 4-1. "The best part about this team is that we have good coordination among the seniors and juniors," Misbah said. "The support staff is helping players, and each and every player realises his duty, and that will help us against England."

Pakistan retained the interim coach Mohsin Khan for the series against England, while they continue their search for a permanent replacement for Waqar Younis. Mohsin also said the team was already looking forward to 2012. " We played good cricket all year long and hence the year ends on a successful note. Now the wins over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are part of history," he said. "We have to start afresh against England and need to raise our game because the next opponents are very strong and ranked No. 1 in the world. We are coming through a successful winning record and I am confident that we can obtain very good results against them."

Pakistan selectors will meet next week to pick the squad against England. There will be a training camp in Lahore before the departure for the UAE, where the first Test begins on January 17.

[sheem]

yaar ini late ku horhe ahi

[DexteR]

achi baat hai na tayari ka mauka mil raha hai.

[DexteR]

Umar Akmal returns, Malik dropped, for England Tests

Umar Akmal, the Pakistan batsman, has been recalled to his team's Test squad for the series against England in the UAE. Left-arm seamers Wahab Riaz and Junaid Khan are also back in the squad, and Shoaib Malik and seamer Mohammad Khalil, who toured Bangladesh, have been left out.

Malik was dropped after a run of poor performances with the bat in ODIs. He hasn't played a Test since August last year and has managed just 35 runs in six innings since his return to the national team in September this year. Khalil, a left-arm medium-pace bowler, was part of Pakistan's touring squad to Bangladesh but didn't play a game. He had replaced Junaid Khan, who suffered an abdominal muscle strain, for the Bangladesh tour and Junaid's return to the squad against England meant Khalil lost his spot.

Junaid's inclusion is still subject to him proving his fitness. He is training at the National Cricket Academy and will be playing a match for his regional Under-23 team on December 31.

"There are some players who are dropped and some are recalled but nobody is out of the picture and can be selected only if they perform. Malik may be dropped but he isn't out of the picture," the PCB's chief selector Mohammad Ilyas said at a press conference at the Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore.

Riaz last played a Test in May 2011, on the tour of the West Indies, but a strong performance on the domestic circuit, for National Bank of Pakistan in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, with 30 wickets in six games at 24.86, won him a place in the 16-man squad. "It was tough for not being the part of the squad for some time," Riaz told ESPNcricinfo. "But I had a firm belief that things will be clear and I don't want to get into the details. What I know about me is that I am ready for yet another stint.

"I have kept myself fit and in form while playing domestic cricket so I don't think I will face any difficulty."

Umar has achieved a fair amount of success in the limited-overs formats and burst on to the Test scene with a century on debut against New Zealand in Dunedin in 2009. But he hasn't scored a century in 29 innings since, often getting starts but not pushing on for a big score. He was left out of the Test series against Sri Lanka in the UAE but has won his place back at Malik's expense against England.

Pakistan have had an impressive 2011, drawing a series in the West Indies, winning against Zimbabwe followed by Sri Lanka in the UAE before sweeping Bangladesh 2-0. They play England in a three-Test series, starting January 17 in Dubai, followed by four ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals. England will play two tour games ahead of the Tests, including one against a PCB XI led by Sarfraz Ahmed.