PERTH, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 13: Shaheen Shah Afridi of Pakistan congratulates Naseem Shah after dismissing Marcus Harris of Australia during day three of the International Tour match between Australia A and Pakistan at Optus Stadium on November 13, 2019 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
PERTH, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 13: Shaheen Shah Afridi of Pakistan congratulates Naseem Shah after dismissing Marcus Harris of Australia during day three of the International Tour match between Australia A and Pakistan at Optus Stadium on November 13, 2019 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
PERTH, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 13: Shaheen Shah Afridi of Pakistan congratulates Naseem Shah after dismissing Marcus Harris of Australia during day three of the International Tour match between Australia A and Pakistan at Optus Stadium on November 13, 2019 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
PERTH, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 13: Shaheen Shah Afridi of Pakistan congratulates Naseem Shah after dismissing Marcus Harris of Australia during day three of the International Tour match between Australia

'Horrendous' preparation will hurt Pakistan in Test series against Australia, says Dean Jones


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Former Australia batsman Dean Jones said Pakistan have not prepared well for the two-match Test series against the Aussies.

The visitors played three Twenty20s, a day-night tour game against Australia 'A' and a two-day match against Cricket Australia XI since landing in Australia.

Test veteran Jones said Pakistan just haven't had enough time to prepare for the Tests in Brisbane and Adelaide.

"I blame Pakistan's cricket board for their horrendous scheduling of this Test series," Jones wrote in his column for the Sydney Morning Herald.

"Pakistan have not played a Test match since early January. Do they honestly feel playing a three-day match at night and a two-day match in Perth will get them ready to be competitive against Australia?"

Jones said Pakistan's inexperienced pacers would struggle because of the lack of preparation and should have had more red-ball matches at the Test venues.

"The Test matches will be played in Brisbane and Adelaide and their bounce will be completely different to Perth," Jones added.

"Why didn't Pakistan schedule a three- or four-day match when their T20 matches against Australia were on in Adelaide or at the Gabba?

"Pakistan could have easily put together a decent team to take on a state side while the international T20s were on. Asian players need at least three matches to get used to our conditions and this itinerary will not help them much."

Pakistan have never won a Test series in Australia and last tasted victory in the longest in format Down Under when they won a dead rubber in Sydney in 1995. The first Test starts on Thursday at the Gabba in Brisbane, where Australia are unbeaten in Tests since 1988.

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Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

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Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

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Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

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Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

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Men’s squad: Faisal Al Ketbi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Kathiri, Thiab Al Nuaimi, Khaled Al Shehhi, Mohamed Ali Al Suwaidi, Farraj Khaled Al Awlaqi, Muhammad Al Ameri, Mahdi Al Awlaqi, Saeed Al Qubaisi, Abdullah Al Qubaisi and Hazaa Farhan

Women's squad: Hamda Al Shekheili, Shouq Al Dhanhani, Balqis Abdullah, Sharifa Al Namani, Asma Al Hosani, Maitha Sultan, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Maha Al Hanaei, Shamma Al Kalbani, Haya Al Jahuri, Mahra Mahfouz, Marwa Al Hosani, Tasneem Al Jahoori and Maryam Al Amri

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Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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