KARACHI: Former Pakistan opener Sadiq Mohammad has urged Misbah-u-Haq’s charges not to panic at the prospect of confronting England in unfamiliar English conditions.

The youngest of the famed Mohammad brothers, four of whom played for Pakistan, speaking from his vast experience of playing in England in the 1970s, said on Tuesday that he expected Pakistan openers to cope well during the upcoming four-match Test series which begins at Lord’s from Thursday.

A veteran of 41 Tests, Sadiq formed a formidable opening pair with Majid Khan after a number of failed experiments with several other partners. Speaking exclusively to Dawn, the 71-year-old stressed that the best advice he could give to the current Pakistan batsmen is to watch the ball closely.

“I think we should shun the fear factor which many players feel when they play in England. The conditions there are different to what we find in the subcontinent, but it doesn’t mean that our players will struggle in the coming series,” Sadiq said.

“It is just a myth in the minds that the English conditions are very tough to play cricket. In our days, we were forced to play on uncovered pitches there. This isn’t the case anymore. The tracks are much better now. I never saw lush green pitches in England when I played for more than 10 years.

“The key for any batsman, in all given conditions, is to focus, particularly when one is opening the innings. [Mohammad] Hafeez and Shan [Masood] therefore, just have to keep their concentration intact and eye the ball as closely as possible,” he advised. “That’s how you play at the start of the innings. Ball-watching is the secret for success.”

Sadiq, however, insisted a decent start will do Pakistan a world of good for their confidence.

“Of course, it is important for any team to get off to a good start. Battles are generally decided depending on how you cope with the prevailing conditions. Batting in overcast conditions can be extremely hazardous in England. But if the focus and concentration levels are there then it becomes much easier to face the bowling.

“My advice to Hafeez and company is to make sure the off-stump is well covered as the ball leaves the bowler’s hand. This is how you play pace bowling. Judging the line and length [of the ball] is crucial. Once you get used to this ritual, runs will come automatically.”

He further maintained that the absence of James Anderson will make a huge difference for both teams.

“Pakistan must be grateful that Anderson is not playing because he is one man who could have made life very tough for our batsmen. I’m a big fan of Anderson and rate him very highly since he can be unplayable at times. He’s primarily a seam bowler who does not swing the ball a lot. Batting against seam bowling is much more difficult than combating swing. From what I have noticed, it doesn’t seam that much in England these days but Anderson is an exception.”

Sadiq singled out the returning Mohammad Amir as the main threat for England.

“They will obviously try every trick in the book to put Amir off his guard in the aftermath of what happened six years ago. But I think Amir will be fine and concentrate on his game rather the antics from the crowds. In my view, Amir holds the key since he has the ability to both seam and swing the ball, a virtue not many bowlers possess.”

Rolling back the years, Sadiq, who played nine Tests in England in 1971, 1974 and 1978, remembered the series-deciding final Test at Headingley with a tinge of sadness in his tone.

“To this day I can’t believe we lost that game. We needed 231 and began the final day of the series at 25-0. I took upon myself the responsibility of anchoring the chase after we lost [opening partner] Aftab Gul and Zaheer Abbas in successive deliveries to England captain Ray Illingworth on that last day,” Sadiq reminisced.

“But we made steady progress until Basil D’Oliveira, a clever medium-pacer, held a return catch to dismiss me for 91 as the ball stopped on the wearing pitch and I mistimed the stroke. I was seventh out at 187, and England managed to win by 25 runs to take the series 1-0.”

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2016