Pakistan cricket team Monday left for Dubai to play a home series against England in the United Arab Emirates amid hopes of winning laurels for the country by keeping the winning spree intact. Pakistan will play three Tests, four One-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals during the series. The first Test will get underway from January 17 in Dubai, second from January 25 in Abu Dhabi and third Test will start from February 3, 2012 in Dubai.
The ODI matches will be played on February 13, 15, 18 & 21 while Twenty20 matches will be played on February 23, 25 and 27. PCB-XI that will play a side match against England has also left for Dubai alongwith national cricket team.
Pakistan cricket team skipper Misbah-ul-Haq told reporters at Lahore airport that the series against England will be a challenge for Pakistan. He said the players have worked hard at the training camp and he is optimistic to earn victory accepting the challenge. He said boys are eager for victory and his side will not be intimidated by England's No 1 Test status when the two teams square off against each other in the upcoming series in UAE.
Coach Mohsin Hasan Khan said on the occasion that all members of the team would have to give their '100-percent' for victory. He said England side is tough one and boys would do their best to give better results. When asked to comment the statement of PCB Chairman, Chaudhry Zaka Ashraf that Mohsin Hasan Khan is not a qualified coach, Mohsin avoided to give any comment but said he respects PCB chairman and does not want to create any dispute by issuing a statement.
Mohsin Hasan Khan has been seen as a good mentor for the Pakistani cricketers since taking over as head coach. His relationship with the players has been a good one and the general feedback that the Board had received regarding him has been positive. Mohsin reiterated that his team is mentally ready for the challenge of facing England, as well as the importance of having plenty of self-belief. "I have spoken at length to my players about believing in themselves and working on the mental aspects of the game of cricket. At the highest level of cricket, sometimes it is about a player having that self-belief and mental toughness that makes the difference between a good player and a very good player. It's heartening to see that this group of players have self belief and their mental toughness has definitely improved," he added.
Pakistan's off spinner Saeed Ajmal has already said he will unveil the "special delivery" he has been working on during Pakistan's upcoming Test series against England in the UAE. Ajmal was the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket in 2011, with 50 wickets from eight games at an average of 23.86, and was a key factor in Pakistan winning five of those Tests. He took 18 wickets during Pakistan's last series in the UAE, against Sri Lanka in October-November last year, and said he recognised he would have an important role to play against England.
Much of Ajmal's success in 2011 accrued from the inability of batsmen to read his 'doosra'. Often in games, Ajmal bowled almost as many balls that turned the other way as regular off breaks, leading to some apprehensions about him going the way of Saqlain Mushtaq in losing the ability to bowl his stock delivery. He also bowls with a flatter trajectory than most off spinners, but said that was because he was not comfortable flighting the ball.