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Fast, bouncy tracks for Indo-Pak series
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December 19, 2005 19:04 IST

Learning from last year's experience and hoping to cash in on the Indian batsmen's vulnerability against fast bowling, Pakistan will be dishing out bouncy tracks to put the visitors in all sort of problems when India tour Pakistan early next year.

Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul Haq spelled out the kind of tracks he would prefer for the series against the arch-rivals and he announced that fast and bouncy wickets would greet India in the forthcoming series.

"The pitches will be different to the ones we played on against England [Images]. We will like to have tracks with more bounce and pace in them as we now have a pace attack capable of taking full advantage of such tracks," Inzamam was quoted in the local media.

English curator Andy Atkins was under fire last year and there was resentment that the pitch, with little grass and soft surface, suited the Indians more than the hosts.

This time, however, there won't be any such generosity by the hosts and the Pakistan Cricket Board's chief curator Agha Zahid also felt that Pakistani bowling attack would look more formidable on fast and bouncy tracks.

"Our bowlers need hard and bouncy tracks from where they can gain that extra pace and make the ball swing in the air,'' he explained.

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He said it would need at least 10-12 days to prepare pitches for the Test matches in Lahore [Images], Faisalabad and Karachi.

"The weather is now very cold and the temperature continues to drop. In such conditions it is very difficult to keep the pitches dry of moisture and dew and to get some live grass on the surface.

"At times when it is freezing we even have to use heaters to keep them dry of dew and we now cover the wickets late night to ensure the pitch retains its heat," he explained.

- UNI


UNI
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