Team Pakistan manager wants players to remain cool against England

Naveed Akram Cheema, the Pakistan team's manager, hopes that the upcoming series against England will be a controversy-free and friendly event; a series they want to play in the right spirit of the game, and avoid any sort of untoward incident. Cheema revealed that the Men in Green will be given special lessons regarding the International Cricket Council’s laws about spot-fixing during their training camp at Lahore. This is being done in order to avoid a repetition of the spot fixing scandal that emerged at Lord's. According to the manager, the players will also be told not to lose their cool, whether it be the pavilion or the ground, and to treat the English team with respect, dignity and create a peaceful atmosphere throughout the tour. He did emphasise that the Cornered Tiger should prove themselves via their performances.

The manager touched upon the atmosphere while speaking to the media. “I want this series to be played in the right spirit. In the training camp for the tour, we will be instructing our players to maintain their cool and not get provoked in any situation.” He further said, “What happened in the last series between the two teams is in the past and I am confident that the upcoming matches will be played in a friendly atmosphere. The players will be asked to show aggression only on the field through their performances and I'll be asking them to avoid any sledging to ensure a friendly atmosphere.” During the last Pakistan-England Test series in England, three Pakistani players, Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were implicated for spot-fixing, which brought dishonour to the Pakistani team. This left a bitter taste at the end of the tour. Controversy is no stranger to Pakistan-England series; from Shakoor Rana and Mike Gatting fighting on-field, to Inzimam refusing to re-enter the field of play after tea, in 2006 at the Oval, over allegations of ball tampering. The current series consists of 3 Tests, 4 One Day Internationals and 3 T20I; fans and the team management will be hoping that the tour can finish without any major controversy.