NEW DELHI: In a bid to address concerns about a lack of practice following a comprehensive defeat against Australia, the Pakistan cricket team is set to play a two-day practice game against Victoria XI on December 22 and 23.
Originally not part of the tour itinerary, Pakistan made a special request to arrange the additional game, providing the team with an opportunity to try more than 11 players.
Pakistan's head coach, Mohammad Hafeez, emphasized the importance of the practice game, stating, "We wanted to have more practice rather than only one practice game. That had first-class status, so we couldn't give all the bowlers the chance to have a feel. We will definitely plan accordingly. All the players should use those two days to make themselves more familiar with the situations and the conditions."
Unlike the four-day Test affair against the Prime Minister's XI, this practice game will not have first-class status, allowing Pakistan to experiment with different players and strategies.
Hafeez revealed that the team requested Cricket Australia to prepare a surface resembling the pitch for the upcoming Test match.
He said, "We have requested similar conditions to the Test match so that our players can take advantage of these conditions. We're grateful to CA for accepting our request and providing this facility."
The additional practice opportunity aims to help Pakistan acclimatize to the conditions and refine their game plan ahead of the Boxing Day Test scheduled for December 26 in Melbourne. After a heavy defeat, the team is focused on learning and adapting to the challenges posed by the Australian conditions.
(With inputs from ANI)
