Pakistan face Somerset with full-strength team in tour opener

Jul 3, 2016 at 3:21 PM

facebook iconlinkedin iconmail icontwitter iconWhatsApp iconTelegram icon
Pakistan face Somerset with full-strength team in tour opener

Pakistan will field their first full-strength squad in the three-day tour opener against Somerset on Sunday (today) with manager Intikhab Alam speaking high of players’ fitness after back to back training camps.

Pakistan will play two practice matches ahead of the first Test against England at Lord’s from July 14.

Considering the kind of green, seaming surfaces which destroyed Sri Lanka earlier this year and Australia last year, much of Pakistan’s preparation has focused on facing the moving ball. But Pakistan may well encounter a more benign environment. The wickets at Lord’s, Old Trafford and The Oval have often, in recent years, provided helpful conditions for batsmen, which may not only negate England’s seamers but bring Pakistan’s spinners into play.

The Pakistan team will, most probably, contain six batsmen, the keeper Sarfraz Ahmed at No. 7, three seamers and Yasir Shah as a spinner. Azhar Ali will complement Yasir’s spin with leg-spin of his own.

“We would go in the match against Somerset with the first choice combination,” Intikhab said, while speaking to ‘The News’ from Taunton on Saturday.

“We are eying a combination that is expected to play the first Test against England starting on July 14. Barring one odd change, we would be playing almost the same team against Somerset that is to play the Test later,” he added.

He said the fitness level of the players to be at its peak.

“Following two training camps in Pakistan and later two weeks of training here in England, the team fitness level is at its peak. I am very confident that every player is now capable of giving his best,” he said.

The manager also said head coach Mickey Arthur has been quick to develop an understanding with players in a very short time.

Intikhab termed the weather “very cold” in Taunton.

“It is around 15c at the moment and we are just coming out of a training session. The weather is expected to be much better tomorrow.” “We pray for clear weather as we need match practice ahead of the Test series,” he concluded.

Even before arriving in the UK three weeks ago, the team had three weeks of training in Pakistan and are now, in the words of their team manager, Intikhab Alam, “definitely the fittest Pakistan team ever”.

But their preparations extend far beyond boot camps with the army in Abbottabad and sessions with the Dukes ball in Hampshire.

Pakistan have also spent time reflecting on their team dynamic and the off-field challenges that could confront them in England. The result is a squad perhaps no more talented than the one that was beaten here in 2010, but one looking more disciplined, more focused and more united.

Related Article
SOM vs HAM Dream11 Prediction, Fantasy Cricket Tips, Dream11 Team, Playing XI, Pitch Report and Injury Update – County Championship Division One 2022
SOM vs HAM Dream11 Prediction, Fantasy Cricket Tips, Dream11 Team, Playing XI, Pitch Report and Injury Update – County Championship Division One 2022

May 19, 2022, 1:48 PM


Vernon Philander Confirms Kolpak Deal With Somerset
Vernon Philander Confirms Kolpak Deal With Somerset

Dec 28, 2019, 11:31 PM


Kyle Abbott Manages Best First-Class Match Bowling Figures Since 1959 After Taking 17 Wickets
Kyle Abbott Manages Best First-Class Match Bowling Figures Since 1959 After Taking 17 Wickets

Sep 19, 2019, 4:41 AM


Hampshire Pacer Kyle Abbott Picks Nine Wickets In An Innings Against Somerset
Hampshire Pacer Kyle Abbott Picks Nine Wickets In An Innings Against Somerset

Sep 18, 2019, 4:09 PM


Murali Vijay Scores Duck For Somerset; Ravichandran Ashwin Again Shines At Late For His County Side
Murali Vijay Scores Duck For Somerset; Ravichandran Ashwin Again Shines At Late For His County Side

Sep 12, 2019, 4:25 AM


Vitality T20 Blast – Eoin Morgan Helps Middlesex Book Quarterfinal Berth
Vitality T20 Blast – Eoin Morgan Helps Middlesex Book Quarterfinal Berth

Aug 31, 2019, 1:13 PM


Desktop Banner
Mobile Banner