Pakistan confidence high ahead of England series: Mohsin

KARACHI: Test series wins over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have whetted Pakistan’s appetite for success and they are capable of beating world number one Test side England next month, coach Mohsin Khan said.

However, interim coach Mohsin, who was retained after guiding his team to series victories over the sub-continent teams, said that England would pose a far bigger challenge for Pakistan.

“England is the number one Test team in the world and their recent performances have been outstanding,” Mohsin told Reuters on Saturday.

“We are expecting a very tough contest and the good thing is our players are already talking about the series and its significance to Pakistan cricket.”

“It is true that Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are not as strong a challenge as England will be. But the good thing is that our team has developed a taste for success and every player is contributing in some way so we can win.”.

Pakistan will play three Tests, four one-dayers and three Twenty20 matches against England in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, starting next month.

Mohsin, who was the chief selector until he was appointed coach last September, denied that the hosts will have any advantage from the low and slow pitches in the Gulf nation.

“England is a thorough professional side and has been stable under the guidance of (coach) Andy Flower and (captain) Andrew Strauss so what will matter is how you play session by session,” Mohsin said. “Conditions will be same for both sides.”

Mohsin, who played 48 Test matches for his country, denied that Pakistan will rely heavily on their spinners during the three-Test series.

“We are fortunate to be blessed with both quality pacers and spinners so we are not going to rely on anyone in particular,” the 56-year old said.

“Our recent mantra has been to focus and plan things on a match-to-match basis and we will continue with that against England as well.”

The Pakistani selectors are due to name the test squad for the series on Monday. Pakistan are playing “home” series in the Gulf region due to security concerns in their own country.