Former captain Mohammad Yousuf feels Pakistan batsmen will have a tough time during the upcoming England tour since they have mainly played on batsmen-friendly conditions in the UAE over the past few years.
Pakistan are third in the latest ICC Test rankings after series wins against England and Australia in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, venues they have been forced to play their home series at since militants attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March, 2009.
And Yousuf feels it will be a major step up for them in terms of technique.
“What worries me is that Pakistan’s Test cricket has mainly been restricted to the UAE for the last few years and in England they have a lot at stake to guard their excellent Test record,” Yousuf said.
The 41-year old said the conditions in UAE and England are different and the Pakistani batsmen would be challenged by an in-form English bowling attack.
“It is going to be a tough tour for us and our first priority should be to ensure we don’t fold up like Sri Lanka has done in England,” he said.
Yousuf said that Pakistan had the advantage of having more experienced batsmen.
“I think Pakistan should do better than Sri Lanka. Because Younis, Misbah, Azhar and Asad Shafiq all have plenty of experience but the key will be how quickly they adjust to the English conditions and pitches,” he said.
“The 2010 tour I think was our worst in England in many years and this team will be challenged to ensure they perform better and the tour is not a repetition of 2010,” he added.
