LAHORE: Australian batting great David Boon has advised Pakistan team to be patient when they tour Down Under later this year for the World Test Championship fixtures.

“The grounds [in Australia] are a lot bigger and the guys have to adapt to that. The pitches are obviously different. I won’t say they are the same all over Australia as they all have their own little nuances and characteristics, the biggest one the guys have to come to grip will be bounce and pace. It is obviously a lot pacier and bouncy here as compared to subcontinent,” Boon said here in the information made available by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

“It is important for them to be patient. Shouldn’t give away too many secrets and have the confidence to play their own game and adapt to the conditions,” the 58-year-old Boon, who is refereeing in the ongoing limited-overs series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, said.

On his return to Pakistan where he also visited as a player in 1987, 1988 and 1994, Boon said, “It is good to be back. There have been a lot of unfortunate issues, which have been out of control of many people, here in the last ten years or so.

“Playing cricket back in Pakistan is only good for the game, and good for the people of Pakistan who follow cricket.”

Right-handed Boon, who played 107 Tests and 181 ODIs for Australia from 1984 to 1996, added, “It is even more important for young kids to be able to see players from their and other countries play the game here [in Pakistan]. They get that vision that moving forward they want to play the game themselves.”

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2019