England will play one Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and two in Dubai, new venues for most of Andrew Strauss's team
Placid pitches
We may not be in the subcontinent, but the pitches will be subcontinental in character. It will not take long before the ball starts to double-declutch on landing. Even with England's giants there won't be much bounce. Patience will be required and much canniness. Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad will hope for reverse swing despite a lush outfield. Andrew Strauss said: "The bowlers are excited by the challenge out here." We'll see if they are still so excited on 7 February.
Teasing teesras
They had better not pay too much attention to the "teesra". Saeed Ajmal, mischievous, like any good old spinner, has mentioned his third way of bowling. England will have enough problems with Ajmal's off-break and his doosra, which really do exist, without fretting about another mystery ? or is it mythical? ? delivery from Pakistan's most dangerous bowler.
Pietersen's phobia
We probably aren't really allowed to mention KP's problems with left-arm spinners. But rest assured that Misbah-ul-Haq is very likely to toss the ball to Abdur Rehman soon after Kevin Pietersen's arrival at the crease. Rehman is an orthodox left-arm spinner (with no teesra and not even a doosra) but he is a cagey, inscrutable operator. For England to win this series the batsmen must all play the spinners better than they have in the past in the subcontinent.
Empty stands
England are used to playing in front of big crowds which, to their great good fortune, is usually the case at home and was the case in Australia last winter (except when they were winning with ridiculous ease). A big audience gives an automatic adrenaline rush. Here England will be appearing in front of many pale blue plastic bucket-seats. Strauss said the novelty of playing at a new venue and the fact that his team have had a good break would ensure that they will be buzzing with excitement. That may well be the case on day one and two of the series, but what about days 13 and 14? England will have to generate their own excitement. As a venue, the United Arab Emirates may spawn one of the most destructive factors on any cricket tour.
Tired minds
Two Tests in Dubai with the daily drive from the city past the skeletal high-rise buildings that look as if they will never be completed could begin to numb the minds of the most conscientious cricketers. The players may tire of a sparsely populated Dubai International Cricket Stadium even though the facilities are excellent. But it is not Lord's or the SCG, hallowed grounds which effortlessly generate an atmosphere of their own and a sense of history.
The players may start to tire of another attritional day of Test cricket if they are not careful. In the past, such groundhog days could lead a touring party to drink, but that may not apply to this disciplined crew, especially after the England and Wales Cricket Board has announced that the official drinks supplier has signed a two-year extension to its contract. Buxton mineral water is still freely available to them all. Despite all the remunerations Rodney Marsh, Ian Botham and Freddie Flintoff may conclude that they played in the right eras.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2012/jan/16/england-pakistan-dubai-five-things
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