Prior to the second Test, Pakistan and Victoria XI
will engage in a two-day practise match. The game is scheduled for December 22
and 23 at Melbourne’s Junction Oval.
Although this match was not originally scheduled,
Pakistan requested to play Cricket Australia because of worries about their
lack of match practise. Shortly before the tourists were humiliated by 360 runs
on the fourth day of the first Test in Perth, the match was officially
confirmed.
“That [the Victoria tour game] was something
extra we added into the schedule because it wasn’t there earlier,”
Pakistan head coach Mohammad Hafeez said after the Test. “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. We will definitely plan accordingly.
All the players should use those two days to make themselves more familiar with
the situations and the conditions.”
Marcus Harris, one of the top candidates to succeed
David Warner upon his retirement at the end of this series, and 25-year-old
Will Pucovski will be in the Victoria XI. Peter Handscomb will serve as the
team’s captain. The players on the team aren’t currently participating in the
Big Bash.
Pakistan has been embroiled in controversy over the
tour plans, with Hafeez criticising the pitch for Pakistan’s match against the
Prime Minister’s XI. The quiet quality of that wicket was more due to the
weather, but Pakistan will be let down if they were hoping for a more active
surface at the Junction Oval. The Oval is one of Australia’s flattest wickets,
and the weather there is very unlikely to be similar to anything experienced at
the MCG.
Hafeez was still optimistic. “The conditions we
get fall under Cricket Australia’s domain,” he said. “We have
requested similar conditions to the Test match so that our players can take
advantage of these conditions. This game was not part of the tour but I wanted
our players to have match-scenario style practice. We’re grateful to CA for
accepting our request and providing this facility. We will try to learn from
this in the most effective possible way.”