It was yet another tough day in the office for the visitors as Pakistan started off from where they had left on day 1. The New Zealanders were made to toil hard under the sun as Pakistan dominated another day of Test cricket and made it yet another day to relish for their fans back home. New Zealand, on the other hand, may want to revisit their strategy and come out as a completely different unit tomorrow.

The time was about 6pm at the Dubai Sports City press conference room. Younis Khan and Ahmed Shehzad had just finished their press conference on Day four of the 1st Test and were being accosted by the usual melee of Pakistani journalists, jostling to get their own pictures with the two batsmen, some even trying selfies with the visibly tired players. In this din, I heard my phone beep and an SMS appeared - “Please be at the hotel at 8 pm sharp”, said The Boss. 

After their performance on Day 1, Pakistan and Ahmed Shehzad in particular, will be looking to build on the platform set today and build up to an unassailable position to get the series started on a positive note. That first double century will certainly be on Shehzad’s mind and given the form the rest of the batting lineup is in, New Zealand will have their work cut out for them as they take the field for what looks to be another long day on Day 2.

On paper, the Test teams looked balanced and the series a competitive one but with Pakistan’s batsmen suddenly finding form at the same time and firing on all cylinders, New Zealand’s spin attack might find themselves in a tough spot from the get go. The onus will be on their pace attack to put pressure on Pakistan early if a fate similar to Australia’s bowlers is to be avoided. 

In his latest blog entry for PakPassion.net, the former Pakistan Fielding Coach and current South Korean Head Coach, Julien Fountain writes about the performance of the South Korean Men's team during the Asian Games T20 Cricket Competition and also makes a compelling case for the inclusion of Twenty20 Cricket as an Olympic Sport.

The ICC Presidency for 2015-16 is of great importance for Pakistan Cricket’s standing in world cricket and Najam Sethi's nomination for this post represents a pivotal opportunity to further this cause.

In his latest blog for PakPassion.net, former Pakistan pace bowler Mohammad Zahid provides his thoughts on Pakistan's batting woes, Pakistan's chances at the World Cup, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mitchell Johnson, Saeed Ajmal's ban and Pakistan's chances against Australia in the forthcoming Test series.

Latest Talent Spotter section puts the spot light on Peshawar Panther's player who has been called up for the Pakistan 'A' game against Australians in the UAE

Pakistan’s current batting woes have been the subject of much debate during the current series against Australia in the UAE. With the fate of the ODI series decided in the visitor’s favour due to a 5 wicket loss for Pakistan in Dubai, it has become abundantly evident that the current batting lineup is struggling to compete against the top teams of the world. This is a fact which does not bode well for captain Misbah-ul-Haq and his team as they look to build a squad that could be considered as serious contenders for the 2015 World Cup to be played in Australia and New Zealand. 

Former Pakistan great Javed Miandad has been an outspoken critic of the current cricket setup in Pakistan and in an exclusive interview with PakPassion.net, spoke about why he feels that the exclusion of Younis Khan from the one day squad is not a well thought out decision and sheds light on Pakistan’s current struggles against Australia in the UAE.

Twenty-three year old Adil Amin was recently identified as one of the top 10 finds of the Haier T20 cup and asked to take part in a special 3 day workshop at the NCA.