QeA Trophy pitches not ideal for Australia tour preparation: Imam

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Pakistan opener Imamul Haq believes the pitches being used in the first round of Quaid-e-Azam (QeA) Trophy are not ideal in terms of preparation for the Men in Green’s upcoming Test tour to Australia.

The first three days of the season has seen two double hundreds and five centuries being scored, including Imam’s 111 not out against Sindh.

Pakistan is scheduled to tour Australia for a two-match Test series in November later this year.

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The first Test will take place at the Gabba, Brisbane, known for its pace and bounce. The two teams will then head to Adelaide for a day-and-night Test, which is bound to challenge Pakistan’s batsmen technique.

However, the 23-year-old, while responding to a question in the post-day press conference in Karachi, added that playing on batting friendly tracks will improve domestic batsmen confidence.

“You cannot say that it is ideal preparation for Australia,” said Imam. “But we can also look at it positively, as we have never seen double hundreds being scored during the initial days of the season. So these tracks are giving batsmen the opportunity to learn how to construct and play a big innings.”

“If a batsman will score 1000 runs in the season, his confidence will be high once he breaks into the national side,” he added. 

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Imam also showed his support towards the introduction of Kookaburra balls in domestic cricket.

“Bowlers had been dominating the domestic circuit for last few seasons and batsmen were made to do all the hard work,” he said. “However, the change in ball will force the bowlers to work harder and put extra effort to reap benefits. In the end, this will help our cricket as only quality bowlers will stand out.”

Pakistan opener insisted that he is entirely focused on his batting and not bothered about criticism.

“I can’t control what people say about me,” he said. “The only thing I can control is my performance, so my entire focus is on improving myself as a cricketer.”

“It is obviously sad to see people criticise me, despite my performances. But the last two years have made me strong mentally and I want to prove myself again and again,” he concluded.