Why are Pakistan and England playing cricket in the UAE?

Bat and ball / Richard O’Hagan / 09 January 2012 / Leave a Comment

High buildings, high scores. An average first innings total of around 370 means draws are always on the cards.

"The Pakistan problem therefore presented a golden opportunity for the region to cement a position as, if not as a viable Test team, then a viable Test venue. Which then takes us on to the question of: what impact this might have upon the outcome?"

It's one of the most eagerly-anticipated Series in a while between two teams that look to be pretty evenly-matched. But why are Pakistan and England locking horns in the desert in the first place, asks Richard O'Hagan.

As England prepare to face Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, it is only natural to wonder why the series is being played there, and what impact this might have upon the outcome.

First of all, the 'why'. Ostensibly, the reason is the terrorist attack upon the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009, in which seven players and a coach were injured - Thilan Samaraweera so badly that he spent a fortnight in hospital - and their bus driver killed. Since then Pakistan have been banned from playing any international cricket at home. As a result, their last two Test series - a draw against South Africa and a 1-0 win against Sri Lanka - have been played in the UAE.

This then leads to the question of why the UAE was chosen as the venue. On the face of it, it is an obvious choice. A hot country where Islam is the prevailing religion and where there is a significant population of people who are either Pakistan-born or descended from those who are.

On a wider and probably more significant level, though, there is the fact that the Emirates have been trying to establish a foothold in cricket's higher echelons for two decades now. First came their qualification for the 1996 World Cup. This didn't have the impact that they expected. The side was mostly composed of players of Indian, not Arab, descent and they lost every game. In fact, the whole campaign is most memorable for captain Sheikh Zarawani going out to bat against Alan Donald, with predictable results, and England's Neil Smith vomiting on the pitch when batting against them.

Since this time the focus has been more on integration by political means. The power of the Asian vote succeeded in having the ICC headquarters moved there in August 2005 and since then the number of games in the territory has grown. The MCC's annual season opener has moved there from Lord's for the past couple of seasons, for example.

The Pakistan problem therefore presented a golden opportunity for the region to cement a position as, if not as a viable Test team, then a viable Test venue. Which then takes us on to the question of: what impact this might have upon the outcome?

For Pakistan, there are some disadvantages. Although the majority of any crowd are likely to be behind them, the support will be more diluted by opposing fans than it would be in, say, Lahore and, more importantly, those crowds are not likely to be so large or so vociferous. In addition, the environment, being both more Westernised and more authoritarian, is likely to be less alien to the visitors than a trip to Pakistan would have been.

On the other hand, the move to the UAE has without doubt benefitted the 'home' side. The fact that they can play in a country where the average first innings total is around 370 has made a Test player out of Azhar Ali and has made Mohammed Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar one of their most prolific opening partnerships of all time.

Despite the apparent friendliness of the wickets - and you can't ignore the fact that four of the five Tests played here have been high scoring draws in which, for the most part, a fourth innings never got going - the pitches will favour seam bowlers more than they tend to do in Pakistan. And that could mean more wickets for the likes of Umar Gul and the returning Wahib Riaz than they'd be likely to take if this were in Pakistan. But the pitches tend to also take spin late on in the game - though by no means as pronounced as the spin would be in Pakistan - and this has to favour a side with the verifiable match-winning abilities of Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman to call upon.

But that's not to say England will be fearing the conditions they're about to find in the UAE. In the likes of Jonathan Trott and Alastair Cook they have batsmen who will grind out scores on any track. Add to that the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell and (possibly) Eoin Morgan and you have a batting order who will be more than a match for the Pakistanis on this kind of surface. Mix in a bowling attack built around the guile of Graeme Swann and the craft of James Anderson and you can just imagine a lineup who was strong enough to flatten Australia and India, being too good for Pakistan, even in their own adopted back yard.

Best Bet: England to take the series 1-0 at 6.0