Re: Eng Test tour of Pak, Dec 1-21
Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2022 11:27 amAs for BFL's comments concerning the strength of opposition....
Of course, Pakistan don't have a team full of experienced world class talent, but I think its a very tough place to tour traditionally from a conditions/cultural perspective. There is obvious reasons for why Pakistan was unable to host test matches, and I think its reasonable to say that the level of comfort for visiting teams is affected by that, and can play on your performance. England cancelled a tour fairly recently citing threats to player safety (last year??), so in my mind, it somewhat makes up the normal difficulty levels in comparison to playing a slightly or even marked better side. I'd much rather play a side with Akram and Younis bowling at me on a tour to somewhere where concerns about safety and what not are not problems, than tour a country where for the last 20 years it was deemed too much of a safety risk to tour.
I am a well travelled person too, and have been to places that people would think I was crazy to go to.... but even I would have some level of trepidation about playing in a country where only a few series ago in terms of cricket tours, a team got attacked by machine totting terrorists. I think for that reason you have to applaud England's efforts a little more. They have gone in, been professional, done the job.
More than anything, its the bowlers for me who had done brilliantly. On pitches with absolutely nothing in them, they have extracted everything possible out the surfaces. Day 5 on the fifth test for instance, they found movement with the ball on the flattest of pitches you could find.
Of course, Pakistan don't have a team full of experienced world class talent, but I think its a very tough place to tour traditionally from a conditions/cultural perspective. There is obvious reasons for why Pakistan was unable to host test matches, and I think its reasonable to say that the level of comfort for visiting teams is affected by that, and can play on your performance. England cancelled a tour fairly recently citing threats to player safety (last year??), so in my mind, it somewhat makes up the normal difficulty levels in comparison to playing a slightly or even marked better side. I'd much rather play a side with Akram and Younis bowling at me on a tour to somewhere where concerns about safety and what not are not problems, than tour a country where for the last 20 years it was deemed too much of a safety risk to tour.
I am a well travelled person too, and have been to places that people would think I was crazy to go to.... but even I would have some level of trepidation about playing in a country where only a few series ago in terms of cricket tours, a team got attacked by machine totting terrorists. I think for that reason you have to applaud England's efforts a little more. They have gone in, been professional, done the job.
More than anything, its the bowlers for me who had done brilliantly. On pitches with absolutely nothing in them, they have extracted everything possible out the surfaces. Day 5 on the fifth test for instance, they found movement with the ball on the flattest of pitches you could find.
