Pakistan captain Misbahul Haq beliees that the home advantage at the UAE would give his charges a slight edge in the series against England. The team left for Dubai via Lahore on Monday evening to play the home series away from home in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The series, starting from January 17, would feature three Tests, four one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals during the series. England team has already reached UAE to get familiar with the conditions and is playing a practice match with the ICC World XI. Talking to media corps before departure at the Lahore Airport, Pakistan captain said that conditions in the UAE were similar to Pakistan. “For that reason we have a slight edge over England because of the home advantage,” he added. The team has already reached Dubai but would be available for media briefing on Tuesday evening after the practice session at the Dubai Sport City. “We have been playing in the UAE for quite some time now and are familiar with the conditions before so we have become used to the venues there,” he added. The Pakistan captain pointed out that the number one status of England would not scare his team. “When we meet in the first match there will be cricket only and no past issues or who is at what position. They should be given their due respect for being number one Test side. But we have to prove ourselves and are here to win against England,” maintained Misbah. “I am confident the way my team have played in the recent past it won’t let England go away with win that easily,” said he. “It would surely be challenging not only for Pakistan but England would also have to work for wins. And scoring runs won’t be easy on slow UAE wickets,” said he. The Pakistani team official hoped that they would focus on cricket only forgetting the 2010 spot-fixing fiasco. The PCB has given specific and strict instructions to the players to focus only on the game and avoid any kind of controversy during the series against English team. In 2011, Pakistan had an impressive record as they did not lose any of the Test series they played and qualified for the semi-finals of the World Cup in India. Pakistan is scheduled to play three Test matches, four One-Day International and two Twenty20 matches against England. Pakistan’s interim coach Mohsin Khan said that this was another series and was most important for his coaching career. “I want a victory against the No. 1 team and am not worrying about coaching future amid speculations that Dav Whatmore will likely take over as the country’s head coach,” said he.
