Time to abandon UAE? Only one win in our last six Test matches

[Sarwar89]

Is it time to abandon UAE as Test venue.
Pakistan can play home Tests in Sri lanka or even Malaysia.

Last 2 year Statistics are not very promising in terms of Results and Crowd.
1) Lost the 3rd Test v West indies Sharjah 2016.
2) Lost 1st Test Abu Dhabi v Sri lanka 2017.
3) Lost 2nd Test Dubai v Sri lanka 2017.
4) Drew 1st Test v Australia despite them being 280 runs in deficit. Dubai 2018.
5) Won 2nd Test v Australia Abu Dhabi 2018. But were 54/5 in first hour and could have gone either way.
6) Lost 1st Test v Nzl by 4 runs Abu Dhabi 2018.

Barely 1 win out of last 6 suggest that lady luck of UAE is no longer with Pakistan. It is time to move away.

Plus lets not forget the hammering we got in Asia cup in UAE this year.

 

[ipl_fan]

Ya. Blame the venue.

 

[aloo paratha]

UAE cricket is boring, and has probably held us back. But I assume you are thinking that if we leave the UAE, we will suddenly become the #1 team in the world.

 

[Sarwar89]

Ya. Blame the venue.

It is not about blame. It is just that Conditions and pitches or environment is just not suiting the boys. 1 win out of 6 Tests in 2 Years suggest that something is not helping Pakistani team here.

 

[Madplayer]

Ya. Blame the venue.

Its true

 

[Sarwar89]

Ya. Blame the venue.

UAE cricket is boring, and has probably held us back. But I assume you are thinking that if we leave the UAE, we will suddenly become the #1 team in the world.

I feel that the last good series Pakistan played in UAE was way back in 2015 against England.
But even in that series Pak nearly lost the first Test despite scoring 500+ in 1st innings, after dramatic batting collapse, bad light denied England a guaranteed win which ultimately changed the Test Series result.

Against West indies in 2016, Test team barely beat them 2-1. Winsied narrowly lost the day night Test, despite Azhar Ali’s 302 in 1st innings.

UAE as Test venue is blocking our boys mental concentration.

 

[ipl_fan]

It is not about blame. It is just that Conditions and pitches or environment is just not suiting the boys. 1 win out of 6 Tests in 2 Years suggest that something is not helping Pakistani team here.

Pakistan can't be choosers. You are in a position where you must be thanking your stars that you have a ready made make shift home waiting for you in the UAE when the actual home is in shambles.

 

[JaDed]

From our fortress to now abandon Uae lol. Full circle

 

[the_outsider]

It is not about blame. It is just that Conditions and pitches or environment is just not suiting the boys. 1 win out of 6 Tests in 2 Years suggest that something is not helping Pakistani team here.

PCT has been playing in the UAE since 2009. Conditions have been the same the whole time. I'm sure you didn't think about the venue when the team was winning. Now that a few losses have come, you are thinking about the venue.

So it's not about the venue at all. It's about the results. You are focusing on the wrong thing.

 

[Abdul]

Sarfaraz needs to get booted out first.

 

[the Great Khan]

Pakistan can't be choosers. You are in a position where you must be thanking your stars that you have a ready made make shift home waiting for you in the UAE when the actual home is in shambles.

shambles?

 

[Shandarchowka]

It's worth noting how many tosses we have won. I'd say not many. We have won the test where we batted first.

If you notice England tour now and back in 2016, we have won many tosses. That really is an advantage.

 

[MenInG]

Instead of fixing our cricket, we run off to another venue?

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Conditions are fine, it's the team that doesn't have good enough batters.

 

[the_outsider]

It's worth noting how many tosses we have won. I'd say not many. We have won the test where we batted first.

If you notice England tour now and back in 2016, we have won many tosses. That really is an advantage.

Interesting... After the Indian tour of England when I mentioned that India lost all 5 tosses which is a disadvantage as a touring team - I was told by PP that I was making excuses for my team.

So what is this? An excuse or not?

And this was a home test for PCT. Not even an away one. I remember when Eng came to India in 2016 and won 4 out of 5 tosses. Went back with a 0-4 scoreline.

 

[the_outsider]

shambles?

shambles (noun): a state of total disorder.

synonyms: chaos, mess, muddle, confusion, disorder, disarray, disorganization, havoc,


The more you know!

 

[the Great Khan]

shambles (noun): a state of total disorder.

synonyms: chaos, mess, muddle, confusion, disorder, disarray, disorganization, havoc,


The more you know!

its neither of those things no matter what your insane media tells you.

so thanks for the arrogant typical Indian response.

 

[Canford Cliffs]

its neither of those things no matter what your insane media tells you.

so thanks for the arrogant typical Indian response.

Then why no cricket team tours Pakistan? Indian media to be blamed for that also?

 

[Savak]

We need to get out of UAE anyways. Playing their constantly is destroying our batting which is already infested with defensiveness.

Our players need to play on fast flat wickets for a change.

 

[Mamoon]

You can play on Mars or Jupiter but nothing is going to happen. This is a painfully mediocre team and the problems run deeper than the venue.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Its not about the venue. People have lost it here

 

[Hasan123]

UAE is an awful place to play cricket. But our batting is the main issue. We are rubbish against pace. Our batsmen have no idea how to rotate strike and put the loose balls away. They can't handle the pressure as shown today.

 

[Usman Chadda]

UAE is an awful place to play cricket. But our batting is the main issue. We are rubbish against pace. Our batsmen have no idea how to rotate strike and put the loose balls away. They can't handle the pressure as shown today.

Wrong. They are rubbish against any kind of bowling, as proven today

 

[Hasan123]

Wrong. They are rubbish against any kind of bowling, as proven today

Fair point. We do have serious issues against spin as well.

 

[topspin]

With current generation of Pakistan cricketers there are two things worth noting - firstly we don't produce good players of spin anymore because we have fed these upcoming batsmen on substandard wickets. It has at least equipped them well defensively against pace bowling (albeit mostly military medium swing and seam).

Secondly, we don't have a potent spin attack like we used too. Yasir Shah can't run through teams like the way Ajmal and Saqlain could on these slow wickets. Also, he can't contain at all. Bilal Asif like Nathan Lyon has struggled in UAE because they rely heavily on bounce.

All the above suggests Pakistan is better suited to playing on faster wickets.

But at the same time if we continue to pick the likes of Hafeez and Sarfraz then we're merely extending our line up of tail enders rather than batsmen, so lets fix the XI and change captain before we contemplate any changes on our adopted home soil.

 

[ExpressPacer]

A beautiful saying in Urdu goes, "Naach na janay; angan terha" which loosely translates to blaming outside circumstances for ones failure instead of addressing the root cause.

Someone wise once said, to fix a problem, you must first recognize and admit that there IS a problem. That is the number one step. We don't need a complete overhaul but deadweight like Azhar, Hafeez and Asad need to be shown the door and new faces need to be brought in. That is the only solution for this problem.

On a realistic note however, let me make it clear, I don't see Pakistan cricket doing well in the future. Any hopes of a decent outing at the CWC '19 is foolish. The fact of the matter is, and I say this as a realist; in all aspects, Pakistan is struggling as a state. In fact, "struggling" is an understatement. Frankly, we are barely making it and I say this as someone living here. The political and socio-economic conditions of the country have never been worse. There is absolute chaos and mayhem and an utter state of indifference. To expect any industry or sector of the country to do well in such circumstances is stupid.

 

[MMHS]

Spin play won't improve unless these FC cricket of 4 extended List A innings changes. Batsmen don't learn spin play by slogging on rank turners, rather they learn to play spin on good batting surface, but wearing with foot mark on Day 3-4-5; where they can back their technique to counter spin and score runs on loose balls. For that, FC cricket has to move to MAR-May period and scheduled at least for 384 overs.

 

[Buffet]

Is it time to abandon UAE as Test venue.
Pakistan can play home Tests in Sri lanka or even Malaysia.

Last 2 year Statistics are not very promising in terms of Results and Crowd.
1) Lost the 3rd Test v West indies Sharjah 2016.
2) Lost 1st Test Abu Dhabi v Sri lanka 2017.
3) Lost 2nd Test Dubai v Sri lanka 2017.
4) Drew 1st Test v Australia despite them being 280 runs in deficit. Dubai 2018.
5) Won 2nd Test v Australia Abu Dhabi 2018. But were 54/5 in first hour and could have gone either way.
6) Lost 1st Test v Nzl by 4 runs Abu Dhabi 2018.

Barely 1 win out of last 6 suggest that lady luck of UAE is no longer with Pakistan. It is time to move away.

Plus lets not forget the hammering we got in Asia cup in UAE this year.

How many time Pakistan won toss out of these 6 last games? Trying to see if Pakistan is able to force a win when they lose toss at home.

 

[jaf348]

Pakistan have no where feasible to go to. The UAE already has a sizeable population of overseas Pakistanis. The only other country is the UK however that is no longer thanks to the stupidity of a few players actions.

 

[Square Drive]

No.

Time to abandon some of our seniors.

 

[todfod 11]

Azhar and shafiq failed to stand up.. Azhar cannot handle pressure. Pakistan need to bring in some one like babar at no. 5. Haaris is again not good as he cant play long innings..

 

[aukhan]

The only thing changed in last 2 years is our captain. What venue has to do with it? Misbah was unbeaten here. Get rid of non performing captain and we will start winning again.

OP trying to divert attention from clown captain.

 

[Usman Chadda]

The only thing changed in last 2 years is our captain. What venue has to do with it? Misbah was unbeaten here. Get rid of non performing captain and we will start winning again.

Misbah lost a test to the West Indies here

 

[aukhan]

1 test after too many wins under his belt in UAE.

 

[CricVet]

Of course this place is a curse to Pakistan cricket. We DO NOT have such domestic surfaces in Pakistan. What do you expect the players to do here. None of our batsmen are comfortable timing the ball on the putty. Our world class bowling has saved us majority of the time to tell you the truth with exception of Misbah and Younis in tests who happened to have more than a decade of cricket experience. It is not easy to perform on such wickets without A LOT of experience.

PS. It also does not generate much interest watching ball coming to the bats like molasses.

 

[the_outsider]

Of course this place is a curse to Pakistan cricket. We DO NOT have such domestic surfaces in Pakistan. What do you expect the players to do here. None of our batsmen are comfortable timing the ball on the putty. Our world class bowling has saved us majority of the time to tell you the truth with exception of Misbah and Younis in tests who happened to have more than a decade of cricket experience. It is not easy to perform on such wickets without A LOT of experience.

PS. It also does not generate much interest watching ball coming to the bats like molasses.

If that's the case then how did India and Bangladesh beat Pakistan to the Asia Cup final? PCT certainly had more experience in UAE than either of those teams.

This myth about how UAE is holding back Pakistan cricket makes so little sense it's not even funny. And I find this all over PP.

Afghanistan played on those very grounds throughout their initial years and it certainly did not stop their growth, regardless of how little resources they have.

And I sure as hell never saw a single complaint about UAE when it was Pakistan's "fortress". Why the change of heart? Just because of the losses in the last 2 years?

 

[Varun]

If you're being whitewashed by Lanka and shelling tests to NZ and WI in Asia - wherever exactly you are - you're probably not too flash as a team.

Just sayin'

 

[Hasan123]

Misbah lost a test to the West Indies here

Sarfraz lost a series to Sri Lanka who are called "minnows" by some of our fans. These same fans also call Australia the worst Australia ever and we drew a test with them in UAE.

 

[hadi123]

yes let's just run away from our problems some fans man

 

[Barragan]

No, it is time to abandon selectors, coaches and captains, who think we don't need two genuine spinners in the UAE and can't drop under-performing players.

Younis and Misbah have proved, that UAE can be a fortress with two quality batters.

Misbah hardly relied on pacers, but yet was still so successful - how?

The formula is there for everyone to see and it doesn't take a genius to realise it either.

 

[Junaids]

Pakistan have no where feasible to go to. The UAE already has a sizeable population of overseas Pakistanis. The only other country is the UK however that is no longer thanks to the stupidity of a few players actions.

No offence, but that just isn't correct.

The UAE is literally the worst of all worlds.

1. There are no crowds, so no gate receipts.
2. The cricket is like an awful boring anaesthetic.
3. The costs of TV production are immense as all the crew and equipment have to be flown in.
4. The costs of hosting BOTH teams are immense as hotel and restaurant prices are high.
5. The time zone is not great: matches take place when Pakistanis are at work and English Pakistanis are in bed or on the way to work.
6. The type of pitch is one that any visiting team can master with a bit of preparation - even the West Indies and New Zealand have won recent Tests there.
7. The type of pitch basically helps Flat Track Bully batsmen (e.g. Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez) and damages the ability of batsmen to adapt to non-Asian conditions.
8. The type of pitch completely wastes Pakistan's traditional strength - quick bowling.
9. Air fares to the UAE from everywhere are high, and the PCB has to pay for both teams.

There are no good reasons to play in the UAE - none.

I would suggest that all the advantages of the UAE would apply equally to hosting cricket in South Africa, plus the conditions would suit the players better and prepare them better for overseas tours. And hotels, restaurants and surface transport are far cheaper. And the TV equipment and crews are already there and don't have to be imported.

The Junaids plan

1. Host the following teams in South Africa to develop techniques and save money.

New Zealand
Zimbabwe
Sri Lanka
Bangladesh


2. Host the following team in England as shared, neutral series to maximize revenue
India

3. Host the following teams in Bangladesh on spinning wickets
England
Australia
South Africa

Forget the UAE - it's a huge waste of money.

 

[MenInG]

No offence, but that just isn't correct.

The UAE is literally the worst of all worlds.

1. There are no crowds, so no gate receipts.
2. The cricket is like an awful boring anaesthetic.
3. The costs of TV production are immense as all the crew and equipment have to be flown in.
4. The costs of hosting BOTH teams are immense as hotel and restaurant prices are high.
5. The time zone is not great: matches take place when Pakistanis are at work and English Pakistanis are in bed or on the way to work.
6. The type of pitch is one that any visiting team can master with a bit of preparation - even the West Indies and New Zealand have won recent Tests there.
7. The type of pitch basically helps Flat Track Bully batsmen (e.g. Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez) and damages the ability of batsmen to adapt to non-Asian conditions.
8. The type of pitch completely wastes Pakistan's traditional strength - quick bowling.
9. Air fares to the UAE from everywhere are high, and the PCB has to pay for both teams.

There are no good reasons to play in the UAE - none.

I would suggest that all the advantages of the UAE would apply equally to hosting cricket in South Africa, plus the conditions would suit the players better and prepare them better for overseas tours. And hotels, restaurants and surface transport are far cheaper. And the TV equipment and crews are already there and don't have to be imported.

The Junaids plan

1. Host the following teams in South Africa to develop techniques and save money.

New Zealand
Zimbabwe
Sri Lanka
Bangladesh


2. Host the following team in England as shared, neutral series to maximize revenue
India

3. Host the following teams in Bangladesh on spinning wickets
England
Australia
South Africa

Forget the UAE - it's a huge waste of money.

Please make sure you let the other countries know about your plan! They arent waiting around to help us play when we feel like!

 

[Sadozai]

Nach na janay aangan terha.