PERTH: Pakistan team director and head coach Mohammad Hafeez has expressed his disappointment over the conditions the team was provided to prepare for their upcoming three-match Test series against Australia in the preceding tour match against the Prime Minister’s XI.

The four-day practice fixture at Canberra’s Manuka Oval saw 758 runs being scored against only 13 wickets across two innings as Pakistan captain Shan Masood hit a double ton and Australia opening hopeful Matt Renshaw scored a century.

With the pitch offering no challenge whatsoever to batters with pace and bounce — elements that define Australian surfaces — ahead of a full-fledge Test tour, Hafeez did not hesitate to suggest that it might a part of the hosts’ tactics to keep Pakistan under-prepared.

“I was surprised and disappointed at the four-day match surface offered at Canberra,” he told reporters at the Optus Stadium on Monday. “It was a slow wicket that might be part of Australia’s strategy, but we are still fully ready for the series.

“The pitch we received for the practice, that was the slowest we can ever, ever play on as a visiting team in Australia.”

In contrast to Hafeez’s view, a Cricket Australia (CA), official said the organisers faced a few challenges in the preparation of the Manuka Oval pitch, which is why it did not offer typical Australian conditions.

“The match was played on a safe surface, but with little life in the pitch for the players,” CA’s cricket operations boss Peter Roach was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

“It was disappointing but exceptional circumstances did present leading into the match which made getting pace and bounce challenging,” said.

Hafeez, however, was satisfied by how Pakistan fared during the tour match and the training sessions in Canberra. But he regretted the loss of spinner Abrar Ahmed, who injured his while fielding in the match and was subsequently ruled out of the first Test in Perth.

“We have ticked most of the boxes in our training,” Hafeez noted. “Everyone on the team is excited to showcase their ability and eager to win.

“Unfortunately, Abrar Ahmed is unfit but everyone else is fit and ready to take on Australia.”

Pakistan are set to take on Australia in the first Test from Thursday, before the team’s play in Melbourne and Sydney. Under newly-appointed skipper Shan, Pakistan will have another go at breaking their winless streak Down Under, with the last Test win coming for the side back in 1995.

Although having underwent a structural revamp at the management level — which included Shan and Hafeez’s appointments — following their dismal 50-over World Cup campaign, Pakistan kicked off their 2023-25 World Test Championship cycle with a 2-0 drubbing of Sri Lanka away from home.

“This Pakistan Test team is well settled and they have done well for the country in the past,” said Hafeez. “It is heartening to see that these guys are excited to take on challenges and doing well in Australia will be a top priority.”

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2023