Practice matches beneficial for England ahead of Test matches

31 October, 2012

England have the luxury of playing three practice matches before the first Test match starts from November 15, 2012. These matches are going to make the English team a competitive side and tough to beat.

THE ENGLISH team is expected to play its first Test match of their Indian tour starting November 15 at Ahemdabad. The English team in order to acclimatise themselves would be playing three practise matches – two in Mumbai and one in Ahemdabad, which is only going to help their cause. Before facing the men in blue, these matches could prove to be pivotal in gaining form ahead of a tough series in the subcontinent.

Currently, the English team is playing a three-day game against India A, and will use this and other games to understand the slow and low wickets of India, acclimatise themselves to the weather and experience the crowds, which is expected to increase when the real battle begins.

Three practise matches are something that generally don't take place due to the hectic international calender. But the English team stands to gain from first class matches. For the Indians, the Australians are next in queue to play India at home, but they might not be as lucky as the English team with the number of practise matches at their disposal. The English team must make the best use of it.

History suggests, foreign teams often face many problems adjusting to the bounce of the Indian pitches among other things, but the English team will have plenty of time to get used to it. They will have no excuses left, if they fail to perform against the Indian team, who are a difficult team to beat at home.

Within a span of these practise games, if the English team gets a grip of the Indian pitches, it is the quality of the test series that is going to improve. Players such as Pietersen, Anderson, Swann, Trott are established players, so they should not require much time to settle in such conditions, but it is the younger players that need more time to adjust to the conditions, which are alien to them. It would be a true test of their character. But, those players, who have played the IPL will find it easier to tackle this situation than the rest.