LAHORE, Nov 7: Pakistan captain Inzamamul Haq fears that the outcome of the Test series against England will be affected by a loss of overs due to fewer playing hours. “The weather will be a problem in the Tests and a lot of overs are likely to be lost which will have a bearing on the results,” Inzamam said on Monday.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has scheduled all three Tests in the Punjab cities of Multan, Faisalabad and Lahore due to security concerns expressed by England about playing at other venues.
The winter season, which has started in Punjab is expected to lead to reduced playing hours due to early morning fog and dew and murky light before sunset.
The first two Tests of the series have a starting time of 9.30am and the final one in Lahore is 30 minutes later but Inzamam had reservations that despite these measures, the teams would not be able to manage the scheduled minimum overs.
“The light gets bad 15 to 20 minutes before the scheduled sunset time in these cities. I also don’t think a 9.30 start would be feasible because the early morning dew leaves the ground wet,” he said.
He also ruled out the possibility of spinners dominating the Tests to increase the chances of keeping up with over rates.
“It is a misconception that we are going to have totally spinning tracks for the Tests. I have not seen the pitch for the first Test but we have asked for well-balanced cricket pitches,” he added.
Meanwhile, leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed believes England are under pressure after a string of woeful batting displays in the run-up to Saturday’s first Test.
England have managed scores of 256 for nine, 112 and 126 so far on the tour, and were 10 for two at one stage in their second innings against Pakistan ‘A’ on Monday before recovering to 256 all out.
“England is a very strong and well-knit side at the moment. But they have struggled in Pakistan and it shows they are fallible,” Mushtaq, who is back in the Pakistan team after a two-year absence, said.
The 35-year-old, with 185 Test and 161 one-day wickets, said England’s batsmen were finding it difficult to adjust to the pace and bounce of Pakistani pitches.
“They will go into the first Test under some pressure after their batting problems,” he said. “We should take advantage and do well.”
Mushtaq, who plays for English county Sussex, said he was also under pressure on his comeback to Test cricket.
“Obviously it is not easy, you do feel the heat,” he said. “But I am confident I can make a strong comeback. I know their batsman and that is an advantage.
“It will be interesting to see how England fare against us. They played Shane Warne well in the Ashes series, it remains to be seen how they play us.”
—Reuters