Captain Ben Stokes is upbeat of England's chances of winning their upcoming Tests series in Pakistan starting next week.
Stokes and the rest of the England squad spent a week using the facilities at Abu Dhabi Cricket and Sports Hub, including a three-day game against the England Lions at the Tolerance Oval, to prepare for the three-match series in Pakistan.
England have won six out of seven Tests under Stokes but all of them on home soil. The 31-year-old says he is relishing the challenge of trying to lead his team to a maiden away series victory but is under no illusions of the challenge to come.
“I'm very excited," he said. “The summer went really well for us in conditions that I know, and we all know as a team, so it's exciting to come away somewhere completely different in sub-continent conditions where whatever team tours finds it very difficult. It's going to be completely different to the summer.”
England were able to prepare for Pakistan pitches by playing on wickets that replicate conditions in the country, and Stokes believes that kind of attention to detail will mean they hit the ground running this winter.
“We've got everything available to us,” he added. “The nets out back have got different types of surfaces because we're not quite sure what we're going to get in Pakistan in terms of wickets.
“We've been lucky to have some wickets that do a bit and some wickets that are a bit drier to help the lads prepare for the challenges that the spinners will present, so it's been really good.”
England used their warm-weather camp at Abu Dhabi's premier multisports venue as the pre-cursor to their historic return to Pakistan after a 17-year absence.
It gave Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum the chance to get their side up to speed for what lies ahead in Pakistan after a memorable few months for English cricket.
Appointed as captain and coach of the Test team last summer, Stokes and McCullum have led a red-ball revolution with wins against against New Zealand, India and South Africa.
England win T20 World Cup
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Ben Stokes and Liam Livingstone of England celebrate victory in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Final against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on November 13, 2022. Getty -
England players celebrate with the trophy. AP -
England celebrate winning the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final. Getty -
Ben Stokes and Sam Curran of England celebrate. Getty -
Ben Stokes and Sam Curran of England celebrate. Getty -
England's Ben Stokes and Liam Livingstone celebrate. AFP -
England supporters celebrate victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. AFP -
Pakistan players wait for presentation ceremonies after losing to England. AP -
Alex Hales, Ben Stokes, Adil Rashid and Chris Jordan of England celebrate. Getty -
Ben Stokes of England celebrates. Getty -
Ben Stokes of England celebrates victory. AFP -
Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi is injured after taking a catch to dismiss England's Harry Brook. AFP -
Shaheen Afridi of Pakistan receives treatment for an injury. Getty -
Ben Stokes of England hits out. Getty -
Adil Rashid of England celebrates after taking the wicket of Mohammad Haris of Pakistan. Getty -
Adil Rashid of England takes a catch off his own bowling to dismiss Babar Azam of Pakistan. Getty -
England's Moeen Ali bats against Pakistan. AP -
Pakistan's Haris Rauf celebrates the wicket of England's Jos Buttler. AFP -
Sam Curran of England celebrates after taking the wicket of the Muhammad Rizwan of Pakistan. Getty -
Pakistan captain Babar Azam bats. EPA -
Pakistan's Shan Masood is beaten for pace. AFP -
Shan Masood of Pakistan receives medical attention after being hit on the helmet. EPA -
Jos Buttler of England leaves the field after being dismissed. EPA -
Shadab Khan of Pakistan hits out on his way to making a score of 20. Getty -
Shan Masood of Pakistan plays a shot. EPA -
England's Ben Stokes plays a reverse sweep. AFP -
Pakistan and England supporters at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. AP -
England's Sam Curran bowls. AFP -
Ben Stokes of England plays a stroke. Getty -
Harry Brook of England dives to make his ground. Getty -
England's Ben Stokes congratulates teammate Sam Curran at the end of his bowling spell. AP -
England captain Jos Buttler plays a ramp shot. AFP -
England's Chris Jordan celebrates with teammate Ben Stokes after dismissing Pakistan's Shadab Khan. PA -
England's Ben Stokes. PA -
Pakistan's Mohammad Wasim bowls. AFP -
Shadab Khan of Pakistan celebrates after taking the wicket of Harry Brook of England. Getty -
Naseem Shah of Pakistan appeals. Getty
Stokes then went on to be the hero as England lifted the T20 World Cup in Australia last month, where they beat Pakistan in the final.
The 31-year-old is grateful to now have the opportunity to switch back into Test cricket mode thanks to the red-ball camp in Abu Dhabi.
"We've been very lucky to be able to come out here to Abu Dhabi and use the facilities here before we head to Pakistan,” Stokes said after the warm-up match at the Tolerance Oval.
“We've been very spoilt. The facilities here are of one of the highest quality that I can remember since being out here.
“We've got the amazing net facilities out the back and then with all the squares, to be able to have a practice game between the Test team and the Lions has been really good so hopefully we can come back here in the future as well.”
Ben Stokes attends Abu Dhabi GP
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England's T20 World Cup star Ben Stokes at the Red Bull Racing garage prior to final practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit on Saturday, November 19, 2022. Getty -
Red Bull Racing's team principal Christian Horner, centre, driver Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen with England cricketers Ben Stokes, second right, Liam Livingstone, right, and others in Abu Dhabi. AFP -
A fan wearing Lionel Messi costume at the Yas Marina Circuit. AFP -
England star all-rounder Ben Stokes during the Abu Dhabi GP at Yas Marina Circuit on Saturday. AFP -
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem at Yas Marina Circuit. AFP -
Ben Stokes during the Abu Dhabi GP. AFP
