The Pakistan cricket team has added a two-day practice match against Victoria XI to their schedule in an attempt to hone their abilities and allay fears regarding match readiness. After Pakistan’s defeat in the first Test against Australia, the match was added to the schedule. It will take place on December 22 and 23 at Melbourne’s Junction Oval.
The lack of match practice prompted the decision to add an additional practice match. This forthcoming game will not have first-class classification, allowing Pakistan to test more than 11 players, unlike the four-day encounter against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra.
We included that [the Victoria tour game] as an extra because it wasn’t on the original schedule. Having multiple practice sessions instead of just one was what we desired. We weren’t able to offer every bowler an opportunity to feel it because it was first-class. According to ESPN Cricinfo, “We felt that would work well, which is why we wanted to have this practice game, so more guys could get a feel of a match scenario,” Hafeez, the director of the Pakistani team, stated regarding the significance of the practice game.
Without a doubt, we will make the appropriate plans. “All of the players ought to utilize those two days to acquaint themselves with the circumstances and surroundings,” continued Hafeez.
I wanted our players to train in a manner similar to a match; hence, I did not include this game in the tour. Mohammed Hafeez
Notably, Peter Handscomb will captain the Victoria XI, which will contain important players like Marcus Harris and Will Pucovski. Pakistan’s players will have an opportunity to adjust to Australia’s unique playing conditions throughout the encounter. Hafeez was upbeat about the next practice match despite the fact that Pakistan has been complaining about the pitch conditions during the tour, especially following their encounter against the Prime Minister’s XI.
“Cricket Australia is responsible for the conditions we receive. To make the most of these conditions for our players, we have asked for conditions that are similar to those of the test match. I wanted our players to undergo match-scenario-type preparation; hence, this game was not included in the tour. We are appreciative of CA granting our request and offering this facility. We’ll make an effort to draw the greatest lessons from this,” he continued.
December 26 is when Pakistan and Australia second test is scheduled to start. It is thought that adding another practice game was a calculated effort to better position the squad to face the difficulties in the series.
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