FAN-TASTIC
Pakistan use giant heaters to warm pitch before Third Test against England despite 30C temperature
Ben Stokes made a funny comparison of the fans
PAKISTAN are using HEATERS to prepare the pitch for the Third Test — even though the temperature is 30 degrees.
It is the home team’s latest attempt to make sure the surface is a raging turner suited to their spin bowlers.
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A pair of giant industrial fans have also again been employed to try to dry the 22-yard strip in Rawalpindi as much as possible.
They were used in the build-up to the Second Test in Multan, where England were beaten by 152 runs.
England captain Ben Stokes described the fans as being like a couple of umpires because they were positioned at the end of the pitch.
The heaters — three at each end and the sort you might use on a patio on a cool evening — are a new method for baking pitches.
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Pakistan captain Shan Masood has already admitted that he is hoping for a dry surface. The more moisture sucked from the pitch, the more likely it is to turn.
The forecast for the next week in Rawalpindi is unbroken sun with the mercury reaching 30 degrees.
In Multan, Sajid Khan and Noman Ali became the first pair of spinners to share 20 wickets in a Test match since 1956 — when Jim Laker took 19 wickets and Tony Lock one against the Aussies at Old Trafford.
Stokes will hope to win the coin toss on Thursday morning so that England can bat first. He must also decide whether to draft in leggie Rehan Ahmed to add more spin options to the attack.
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Meanwhile New Zealand weathered a nervy chase to win their first Test on Indian soil since 1988.
The Kiwis made 110-2 on a rain-affected final day to beat India by eight wickets and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
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