Misbah tells Pakistan to ‘forget about the pink ball, forget about the lights’

Paul Radley reports ahead of the first day-night Test in Asia that Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq wants his side to think like a No 1 team and disregard the conditions against West Indies.

DMisbah-ul-Haq of Pakistan shown during a nets session in Dubai on Wednesday ahead of the start to the Test series on Thursday. Francois Nel / Getty Images / October 12, 2016

DUBAI // Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has challenged his players to prove themselves all over again, ahead of the first day-night Test to be played in Asia.

The opening match of the three Test series against West Indies starts at 3.30pm at the Dubai International Stadium.

It is hoped the late start time, just over two hours before sunset, will allow more spectators to come to the ground to watch once office hours are complete.

It does, though, mean Pakistan will be foregoing a variety of natural advantages they would have otherwise had in keeping normal daytime hours, against a group of players who will be playing Tests here for the first time.

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History suggests the hosts are as good as invincible in the UAE. They have never lost a full series here, and have lost just one of the 21 Tests played since it became their full-time home in 2010.

They are well versed in picking a side and a gameplan to complement the requirements of the prevailing conditions.

And, yet, they have given that away in favour of a step into the unknown. Neither side has played a Test using a pink ball under floodlights before.

According to Misbah, his players have to be good enough to adapt if they have aspirations of regaining their place at the top of the Test standings, which they have now ceded to India.

“I think if you are a good team, and you think you are No 1 in the world, then regardless of any circumstances, you have to prove yourself against any team,” Misbah said.

“That should be the thinking of the team and the players. Forget about the pink ball, forget about the fact you are playing under lights. Just go out and perform.”

At the first day-night Test, between Australia and New Zealand last year, the Adelaide Oval groundsman left an unusual level of grass covering on the pitch.

Adelaide is traditionally a batsman’s paradise, but the match was finished within three days. Over 123,000 people had passed through the turnstiles by that point, so the match was deemed a success.

This Dubai fixture is not likely to get anywhere close to those sort of viewing figures. And Misbah is hopeful the pitch retains its usual characteristics, too.

Pakistan have traditionally thrived on wickets that are as bare as possible. Any extra grass could potentially quell the threat of their outstanding spin bowlers, like Yasir Shah, and even up the balance between the two sides.

“Maybe the pink ball survives on grassy pitches, but we also have to make sure that we survive as a team,” Misbah said.

“It is up to the team. I believe the better team always performs better whatever the conditions are. If you are the better side, you have to perform well and win. That is the bottom line.”

Of the two sides, only the West Indies have had match practice using the pink ball on this tour. They played out a featureless three-day match against a side of second string Pakistan players in Sharjah last week.

Jason Holder, the Caribbean side’s captain, regards the new concept as a good idea.

“I think it is a little bit late to be worried,” Holder said. “It is a new thing, and we are just trying to get accustomed to it.

“We have to adjust to it, go out there and be as professional as we possibly can. I like the concept of it, and think it is one that should be here to stay.”

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