Pakistan Aim to Heal Reputation

Dubai: Pakistan team manager Naveed Akram Cheema insists his team's conduct is more important than beating England.

Cheema believes the Test series in United Arab Emirates will play a vital role in restoring Pakistan's reputation after the damaging spot-fixing scandal.

Three Pakistan players, ex-captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, were given prison sentences for conspiring to bowl deliberate no-balls during the Lord's Test between the sides in 2010.

Cheema reiterated that the Pakistan Cricket Board's new code of conduct has ensured a "zero tolerance'' policy towards corruption.

The UAE has become a familiar venue for Pakistan cricket with the country playing all its matches overseas since gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009.

But Cheema hopes that it will be the first and last time Pakistan play a Test series against England on neutral soil.

He believes an England tour of Pakistan in the next few years is feasible.

Any temptation that England felt to abandon their policy of six batsmen disappeared the moment that Tim Bresnan, the sturdiest batsman among the bowling attack, left the tour through injury. To include Monty Panesar as a second spinner would therefore entail perming three fast bowlers from six. In the first Test at least, they are likely to exclude Panesar and stick to a proven formula.

Teams from

Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Abdur Rehman, Aizaz Cheema, Adnan Akmal (wk), Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Imran Farhat, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Talha, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Taufeeq Umar, Umar Gul, Umar Akmal, Younis Khan, Wahab Riaz

England: Andrew Strauss (capt), Ian Bell, Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Steve Davies, Steven Finn, Eoin Morgan, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen, Graham Onions, Matt Prior (wk), Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, Jonathan Trott

Pitch and conditions
England are bracing themselves for a demanding bowling experience on a benign surface, in conditions that do not offer the fast bowlers much help.

Stats and trivia

• In their last home series against Pakistan, England dismissed the opposition for less than 100 on three occasions.
• England are sure to remain top of the ICC Test Championship if they do not lose to Pakistan by more than a one-Test margin in the three-Test series.
• Pakistan have won nine, lost 11 and drawn seven of their 27 Tests since their loss of home Tests because of security concerns. Only seven of those Tests have been at a neutral venue.
• England have three bowlers - Graeme Swann, James Anderson and Stuart Broad - in the top four of the Test rankings.

Match facts
January 17-21, 2012
Start time 1000 local (0600 GMT)