Inzamam fears weather will disrupt England Tests

LAHORE—Pakistan Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq fears that the outcome of the test series against England will be affected by a loss of overs due to fewer playing hours.
“The weather will be a problem in the tests and a lot of overs are likely to be lost which will have a bearing on the results,” Inzamam told newsmen on Monday.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has scheduled all three tests in the eastern province of Punjab in the cities of Multan, Faisalabad and Lahore due to security concerns expressed by England about playing at other venues.
The winter season, which has started in Punjab is expected to lead to reduced playing hours due to early morning fog and dew and murky light before sunset.
The first two tests of the series have a starting time of 9.30 a.m. (4:30 a.m. British time) and the final one in Lahore is 30 minutes later but Inzamam had reservations that despite these measures, the teams would not be able to manage the scheduled minimum overs.
“The light gets bad 15 to 20 minutes before the scheduled sunset time in these cities. I also don’t think a 9.30 start would be feasible because the early morning dew leaves the ground wet,” he said.
He also ruled out the possibility of spinners dominating the tests to increase the chances of keeping up with over rates.
“It is a misconception that we are going to have totally spinning tracks for the tests. I have not seen the pitch for the first test but we have asked for well-balanced cricket pitches,” he added.—Agencies