We've always been a poor team in UAE since 2006.
Only notable performances have been against India 1-1 draw 2006 and series wins versus Sri Lanka & West Indies.
In one sense, UAE has saved PAK cricket from total collapse by allowing themselves to be PAK's "home", but this probably is the worst venue for PAK (along with home wickets for Test playing conditions there), which goes against the core strength of the team.
Some of the traits that UAE has taught (read cursed) PAK cricket are
1. ZERO new ball skill by pacers - the 4 overs that Mustafiz bowled in opening spell on 26th SEP, can be a catalyst for most PAK pacers - I know it hurts, but fact, I have seen that game. PAK pacers wait for the shine to rough up so that they can grip the ball properly and get some reverse swing!!!!
2. Reduce in pace - the faster you bowl, the easier it becomes, is the mantra of UAE ... hence Indians are actually faster these days.
3. Very tittle conventional spin quality - even Yasir pushes most of his balls in tight channel and hope for LBW. Very little classical spin qualities can be developed in UAE - that's big turn, flight, loop and variation of bounce.
4. PATHETIC batting skills against pace bowling - anything over thigh, it's a problem. Basically, no back-foot game, unless it's a long hop
5. Nightmare against anything that's shiny & swinging in air - prove, see highlights of last game, first 4-5 overs of Kiwis should be enough
6. Poor spin playing capability by every batsmen starting career in last 10-12 years on these mud beds, where darters are king - Babar, Haris, Umar, Imam, Asif .... none of them has good foot work, neither wrist work to play proper spin. Mian or MoHa started cricket career in last millennium, therefore they do know how to use feet against spin. I was really surprised from the spin playing capacity of few ZIM batsmen recently!!!
7. Absolute ZERO maneuvering skills for singles. Singles/rotation can only be done if you have 360 game on either feet - basically, you have 2-3 shots for most balls with a very good placements and shot selection to filter out fatal ones. UAE is the worst place (after home, I am talking about FC games - you don't learn cricket elsewhere) to play shots - so, batsmen are stuck with bottom hand game, rather than top hand.
8. Very little free scoring shot making ability - that's 4 or 6 against loose balls. On these dead slow, low mud beds you can only learn grafting ala Azhar Ali. Players learn only to play high risk shots for the boundaries - example, watch Fakhar's batting. And, today someone Kn Williamson lobbed a long hop to mid-wickets belly in circle - a ball that he'll send 9 out 10 times to crowd on a proper cricket wicket with good pace & consistent bounce.
Also, UAE has limited PAK players to a particular skill set, which they are good at applying in UAE, which helps them out performing visitors, but bunny elsewhere. Today, I can learn a skill that was appropriate in 1980s and I'll beat most people in that skill, but that's not going to earn me a pay raise in 2018.
PS: This is I am writing on the day PAK is most likely to win the game & quite easily, hence hope that I won't be put in my place here after the game.
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