Tim Paine underlines importance of being patient in Pakistan series

Australian skipper Tim Paine underlined the importance of absorbing the pressure and willingness to play long in the two-match Test series against Pakistan starting October 7 in Dubai.

“I think games traditionally in the UAE take a long time so we are going to have to be really patient,” Paine told cricket.com.au. “We have spoken about partnerships and patience and pressure, which is going to be a real key over there.

“Games … sort of drag along for three or four days and it can happen really quickly on day five. So, it is about having your team in a position to strike late in the game. We know traditionally that they are long, low-scoring days and it takes time to score your runs. You just have to grind it out. So, we are going over there with that at the front of our minds, he said.

Playing without experienced players David Warner and Steve Smith, Australia s new look team have a daunting task in the UAE, a country where Pakistan have lost just six of their 21 Tests played in their adopted home.

“We are going to have to play really hard, tough cricket particularly from the batting side. And then in the heat over there, it’s the same for our bowlers; it’s going to be about patience, trying to wear them down and being in a position late in the game where we can make a move,” said Paine.

The wicketkeeper batsman also talked about managing his strike bowler Mitchell Starc. Strac will have a heavy workload, considering Australia regulars Josh Hazelwood and Pat Cummins are out with injuries.

We have to be really careful with all our quicks over there,” Paine said, adding, “It’s going to be over 40 degrees and really high humidity so we’re going to have to be clever about how we use our bowlers. Starcy, in particular, who is a strike weapon I expect him to be bowling short spells and as fast as he can. We’re hopeful no, we re sure Starcy will have a really big series, and if he does, it will go a long way towards winning it for us.”