Arthur urges Pakistan to be 'mentally prepared' for series Down Under

Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur has urged his players to leave behind the New Zealand Test series loss and showcase themselves at the peak of their powers for the upcoming Australia tour which he considers to be the "biggest challenge of some of the players' careers."

Pakistan recently suffered their first ever Test series loss to New Zealand in as many as 31 years and it was their batting which led them down.

Expressing his views for series Down Under, which would be their first in seven years, Arthur said, "We just need to be mentally prepared and ready for the biggest challenge of some of the players' careers. We will leave no stone unturned in the preparation in order to give the player the best chance of success."

 

"It [Australia series] certainly is going to be a massive challenge for us as a team to combat them in the day-night fixture at the Gabba [Brisbane]! Again we will leave no stone unturned in our preparation. The ball will bounce and swing no doubt, we just have to cope with it and adapt," he was quoted as saying by the Dawn.

The 42-year-old termed the New Zealand tour as a major setback result-wise but expressed better fortunes for his charges in Australia despite the contrasting playing conditions.

"Overall, the New Zealand series was really disappointing as we expect to win every series that we play because we believe in ourselves as a team. But it is important to note that these conditions are completely the opposite to what we get in the UAE and what the players are used to but it is our job to equip them to handle these conditions and perform," he said.

"The Australian tour is a huge one and probably the toughest place to play away from home. We will be working extremely hard to adapt and have success over there," he added.

The series against Australia begins with a day-night Test in Brisbane on December 15, followed by games at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (December 26-30) and the Sydney Cricket Ground (January 3-7, 2017).

Pakistan squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Azhar Ali, Sami Aslam, Sharjeel Khan, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Mohammad Rizwan, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Sohail Khan, Imran Khan.