In an effort to enhance their abilities and alleviate concerns regarding their preparedness for upcoming matches, the Pakistan cricket team has incorporated a two-day practice match against Victoria XI into their schedule.
Following Pakistan’s defeat in the initial Test against Australia, a game has been slated for December 22 and 23 at Melbourne’s Junction Oval, despite not being part of the original plans.
The call to incorporate this additional practice match stemmed from apprehensions surrounding insufficient match practice. Diverging from the four-day encounter against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra, this upcoming fixture won’t carry first-class status, providing Pakistan with the opportunity to assess more than just the standard 11 players.
The two-day practice game wasn’t initially on the agenda, but worries about the team’s match readiness prompted Pakistan to approach Cricket Australia for this additional match. After the conclusion of the first Test, all parties quickly agreed to this request.
In contrast to the four-day practice match against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra before the first Test, this upcoming game won’t carry first-class status. This flexibility means Pakistan can field more than 11 players, providing them with the opportunity for broader participation during the match.
“That [the Victoria tour game] was something extra we added into the schedule because it wasn’t there earlier. 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. That’s the reason we wanted to have this practice game, so more guys could get a feel of a match scenario; we felt that would work well,” Pakistan team’s director Hafeez said with regard to the importance of practice game as per ESPN Cricinfo.
We will definitely plan accordingly. All the players should use those two days to make themselves more familiar with the situations and the conditions,” Hafeez added.
Peter Handscomb will captain the Victoria XI, featuring prominent players like Marcus Harris and Will Pucovski. This game offers Pakistan’s team an opportunity to acclimate to Australia’s unique playing conditions. Despite some concerns over pitch conditions, highlighted after their match against the Prime Minister’s XI, Hafeez remains hopeful about the forthcoming practice match.
Australia has decided to exclude seamer Lance Morris from the squad for the upcoming second Test on December 26, reducing the team to 13 members. Although Morris was initially set for his Test debut in Perth, he will now be representing Perth Scorchers in their upcoming match against Hobart Hurricanes on December 20 at Optus Stadium.
The upcoming December 26th marks the commencement of the second Test between Pakistan and Australia. The inclusion of an extra practice match is being viewed as a tactical decision to enhance the team’s readiness for the upcoming challenges in the series.
