SHARJAH // New Zealand’s cricketers must be anticipating a month of hard toil against Pakistan in the UAE, judging by the fact that they curtailed their practice match ahead of the series 35 overs early.
The Black Caps are scheduled to play 15 days of Test cricket against Pakistan in the space of 21 days, starting at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
They opted to conserve some energy, calling the match against Pakistan A at Sharjah Cricket Stadium to a premature close before the tea break on Day 3.
No question, there was little prospect of a result and the game had diminished to such a low intensity that there was probably more value in an ice bath and an early night than playing on.
Haris Sohail and Babar Azam, two young batsmen who also shone in Pakistan A’s 153-run win over Australia at the same ground last month, were the not-out batsmen when stumps were drawn.
The fact that Pakistan’s second string batsmen were relatively unflustered was a reminder of how difficult the next few weeks are likely to be for the visiting bowlers.
The senior Pakistan batsmen were in prime form in the series whitewash of Australia, and Neil Wagner, the New Zealand seam bowler, acknowledged the going will be tough in the forthcoming Tests.
“The facilities here suit Pakistan, they have been playing on them for a while and other teams around the world don’t get exposed to that too often,” Wagner said. “It is going to be a tough test, like it was for Australia. It was a good hit out for us in this three-day game to get used to the facilities, get used to the heat and have a hit out on a wicket that was slow and quite abrasive.”
Despite its brevity, New Zealand could take more optimism from this match that the Australians took from their practice game against the same opposition. Not least because they have a spinner who immediately found the wicket to his liking. Ish Sodhi, an India-born leg-spinner, took five wickets in the first innings.
Shan Masood, the Pakistan A opener who is looking to regain his place at the top of the order in the Test side, says the New Zealanders will pose a different threat to that of their neighbours.
“Having faced them in this match, they are a completely different side than the Australians,” said the Kuwait-born opening batsman.
“If you look at batting and bowling, they are completely different. But we can only look at ourselves.
“As far as we are concerned, the conditions over here dictate that we are going to stick to our strength, and hopefully we are going to maintain that consistency that has been lacking in our cricket.”
pradley@thenational.ae
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