“They don’t call Test cricket a war of attrition for nothing”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

New Zealand head coach Mike Hesson has announced that getting accustomed to the searing heat in the United Arab Emirates will be pivotal prior to the start of the Test series against Pakistan.

However, New Zealand should have ample time to get used to the weather and pitch conditions since they will play a three-day game against Pakistan A in Sharjah from November 3 to 5.

“Temperatures will be in the mid-30s with a dry heat that really saps your energy,” Hesson wrote on his blog on the New Zealand Cricket website. “They don’t call Test cricket a war of attrition for nothing, so the warm-up match against Pakistan A starting on Monday will be critical to acclimatising to those conditions.

“We now have a lot of experience both within the players and the management group in terms of dealing with the heat, but we’re not in denial that it’s going to be extreme.”

Hesson also revealed the two main aims his team have to achieve if they are to beat Pakistan during the three-Test series.

“The first is our ability to take wickets on unresponsive surfaces, and the second is that our batsmen all have a method to cope when the ball starts turning, to both defend and to score,” he wrote. “If we can achieve those two tasks, we’ll go some way to improving our poor record against Pakistan.”

The first Test between New Zealand and Pakistan will get underway on November 9 in Abu Dhabi.