Acrimonious Pakistan/England rivalry resumes at neutral venue

LONDON,  (Reuters) – A rivalry riddled with  acrimony resumes on neutral territory in Dubai today with  England seeking to consolidate their world number one ranking  against a Pakistan side rebuilding after the 2010 corruption  scandal.

Misbah-ul-Haq

Pakistan have been forced to play all their home matches  abroad for the foreseeable future after an armed attack on the  Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore three years ago.

Subsequently three leading players, including captain Salman  Butt, were jailed after conspiring to bowl deliberate no-balls  in the Lord’s test two years ago.

Pakistan’s response under 37-year-old captain Misbah-ul-Haq  has been admirable. Since Misbah took over, Pakistan have won  six tests and lost only once, won 13 out of 14 one-day  internationals and all five of their Twenty20 matches.

England, who succeeded India as the world’s top team during  a 4-0 whitewash at home last year, now aim to show they are a  team for all seasons.

They have not won a series in Asia for more than a decade  and, after the Pakistan series, they face demanding tests  against Sri Lanka away followed by West Indies and South Africa  at home and then a tour of India.

Each series between England and Pakistan has involved a  controversy of some sort, reaching a nadir in 2010 when the  sides were not on speaking terms in the one-day series after the  Lord’s test.

Shoaib Akhtar, the former Pakistan fast bowler who retired  during last year’s World Cup after a colourful international  career, praised both Misbah and his England counterpart Andrew  Strauss at the weekend but said there would still be tension  between the sides.

“Strauss is a top captain and England are lucky to have him  leading them,” Akhtar told the PTV sports channel.

“He does not believe in mind games but playing fair.  Misbah-ul-Haq has also matured into a good captain for Pakistan  and is a good man.

“Strauss is a heck of a gentleman but the rest of the  players will be at the Pakistani players throughout the series.”

PANESAR SEEKS RECALL

Pakistan have always shown a remarkable ability to  regenerate their international team despite a flimsy domestic  structure exacerbated now by the handicap of playing all their  matches abroad.

They will rely on two players well into their thirties to  bolster the batting and lead the attack respectively.

Younus Khan, captain of the Twenty20 side who won the 2009  World Cup in England, remains technically adroit, hungry for  runs and a wonderful slip fielder at the age of 34.

Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, also 34, finished 2011 with 50 test  wickets and bowls a high percentage of doosras at a brisk pace  which he believes will be a plus against an England batting  lineup including four left-handers.

Ajmal told Reuters he was confident of winning a high  percentage of his lbw appeals with his doosra which either spins  into the left-handers or straightens.

“The advantage we have is we know the conditions and pitches  well now and we know what to do to take wickets,” he said.

England rose to the top of the top of the world rankings  with a three-pronged pace attack supplemented by off-spinner  Graeme Swann.

Now left-arm spinner Monty Panesar, who has not represented  his country since the first test in the 2009 Ashes series, is  pushing for a place alongside Swann after taking eight wickets  against the Pakistan Cricket Board XI.

Panesar’s inclusion, though, would lengthen the tail  especially as the team’s best late-order batsman Tim Bresnan has  returned home early with an elbow injury and England are likely  to stick to their tried and tested formula.