Sharjah: England play the first match of their UAE tour with a two-day game against Pakistan A team at the Sharjah Stadium from Monday (10am start).
This match is expected to be an appetiser for the fans here before the upcoming series between Pakistan and England, which includes three Test matches, four One Day Internationals and three Twenty20 matches.
England will finalise their Test team based on the performances in the two two-day matches, scheduled here from Monday with the second match on October 8 and 9.
Pakistan, led by Junaid Khan, have arrived here and the team is made up of many young, promising players.
Sharjah Stadium will open its doors for free for both matches.
Speaking to Gulf News, Waleed Bukhatir, vice chairman of Sharjah Cricket Council, said: “We are proud to be hosting many matches from this series, starting with the two-day matches.
“It is the spectators who have always added to the thrill of the matches here, turning up in large numbers, and hence we are delighted to open the doors for them to watch some of the finest players in action. Pakistan have always contributed immensely to the memorable moments of this ground and we are expecting to witness some great contests, not only here but in other venues in the UAE too.”
During the series, Sharjah Stadium will host its 219th One Day International match.
England are getting acclimatised to the heat and made sure to practice for the last three days in the morning heat from 10am for nearly three hours at the ICC Academy in Dubai and Sharjah Stadium. Most of the England players, after practice, wrapped themselves in wet towels dipped in ice buckets.
All eyes will be on Moeen Ali and Alex Hales as their performances will decide who will be the opening partner for their skipper Alastair Cook.
James Taylor is also expected to use these matches to return to the squad after a three-year exile from Test cricket.
The Pakistan A team had only a light training session from 4pm on Sunday.
Adnan Akmal, the brother of senior stars Kamran and Umar, is the wicketkeeper for the team. Left-handed batsman Ali Assad, who has some big scores for United Bank, is also here. Other members of the squad include all-rounder Fawad Alam, attacking batsman Khurram Manzoor and promising batsman Umar Amin.
Young slow left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar can pose problems for the England batsmen, along with off-spinner Iftikhar Ahmad.
