Pakistan tour of South Africa 1991/2 - Tour Preview

Pakistan will tour South Africa in August 1991/2 for a series of 2 Tests, and 3 One Day Internationals.

Pakistan have named the following squad for the tour:

Saeed Anwar
Aamer Sohail SLA
Shoaib Mohammad OB
Rameez Raja

Javed Miandad LBG
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Saleem Malik LBG

Ijaz Ahmed LM/SLA
Imran Khan RF (c)

Moin Khan (wk)
Rashid Latif (wk)

Wasim Akram LF
Waqar Younus RF
Aaqib Javed RFM

Abdul Qadir LBG
Mushtaq Ahmed LBG
Tauseef Ahmed OB
Akram Raza OB

Pakistan were a real force at this time, having pushed the great West Indies sides of the 80's, and maintaining a particularly strong home record.
The squad seems packed with talent and experience, with the battle between ageing spinners Abdul Qadir and Tauseef Ahmed and the younger Mushtaq Ahmed and Akram Raza for a spot in the final XI being particularly interesting.
Inzamam-ul-Haq also makes his first Test and ODI tour, having been on the radar for a few years, his strokeplay already earning rave reviews.
Alltime great allrounder Imran Khan will captain a strong fast bowling attack lead by Wasim Akram and Waqar Younus.
The prospect of all three playing together in the 1992 World Cup would be mouthwatering for Pakistani fans.
Javed Miandad will lead a talented batting lineup, though the real test will be if they can maintain their strong batting form away from home against a strong South African attack.
The opening positions remain in doubt, with Saeed Anwar failing on his debut in 1990/1, and Aamer Sohail yet to play a Test, so this could be a weakness South Africa can exploit.

The South Africans are returning from exile in time for the World Cup in 1992 and are expected to be lead by former Australian opener K.C.Wessels in their opening games.
P.N.Kirsten will add experience to the middle order, while S.J.Cook, after years of heavy run scoring in County cricket may add strength at the top of the order.
The strength of the side seems to be mostly in it's allrounders and fast bowling, with A.A.Donald leading a strong bowling attack.
Spin maybe a weakness, with the experience O.Henry expected to be the frontrunner for the spinners slot.

On paper Pakistan seem stronger in batting and bowling, but South Africa will be suited by their home conditions, so a close series is expected.

Can the captaincy of Imran Khan bring out the best in the ageing Abdul Qadir in South Africa in 1991/2?

Pakistan tour of South Africa 1991/2 - Tour Schedule

The schedule for the Pakistan tour of South Africa in 1991/2:

3 day First Class tour match v South Africa A at Johannesburg

50 over List A tour match v South Africa A at Cape Town
20 over match v South Africa A at Pretoria

3 day First Class tour match v South African Board XI at Port Elizabeth

50 over List A tour match v South African Board XI at Durban
20 over match v South African Board XI at Johannesburg

1st T20 International v South Africa at Cape Town
2nd T20 International v South Africa at Durban

1st One Day International v South Africa at Johannesburg

2nd One Day International v South Africa at Port Elizabeth

3rd One Day International v South Africa at Pretoria

1st Test v South Africa at Cape Town

2nd Test v South Africa at Durban

Pitch conditions information for South African Test grounds 1988-1998 is as follows:

SOUTH AFRICA 

Fast bowlers are inclined to look forward the Johannesburg Tests at least the opening two sessions when the pitch is lively. Batting becomes easier thereafter but often the spinners prosper on the final day. Durban also provides fast paced wickets often appreciated by the top batsmen as well as the quicker bowlers. In contrast Port Elizabeth wickets are normally slow paced and with a low bounce. Spinners are sometimes assisted by conditions on the final day but run making is generally an easy if rather slow business here. Cape Town usually offers more help to the bowlers than batsmen. The wickets often produce an uneven bounce and the quickies are favoured early in the match while the spinners prosper on the final two days. Fast paced wickets can also be expected in Pretoria, encouraging both stroke play and the quicker bowlers but some times the wicket can be excessively hard and bumpy for a Test venue.

Johannesburg plays host to the 1st tour match of the 1991/2 Pakistan tour of South Africa

West Indies tour of Sri Lanka 1991/2 - Tour Schedule

The tour schedule for the West Indies inaugural Test tour of Sri Lanka in 1991/2 is:


3 day First Class tour match v Sri Lanka A at Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
50 over List A tour match v Sri Lanka A at Moratuwa
20 over match v Sri Lanka A at Khetterama Stadium, Colombo
3 day First Class tour match v Sri Lankan Board XI at P.Saravanamattu Stadium, Colombo
50 over List A tour match v Sri Lankan Board XI at S.S.C., Colombo
20 over match v Sri Lankan Board XI at Moratuwa

1st T20 International v Sri Lanka at S.S.C., Colombo
2nd T20 International v Sri Lanka at Kandy

1st One Day International v Sri Lanka at Khetterama Stadium, Colombo
2nd One Day International v Sri Lanka at Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
3rd One Day International v Sri Lanka at P.Saravanamattu Stadium, Colombo

1st Test v Sri Lanka at S.S.C., Colombo
2nd Test v Sri Lanka at Kandy


The pitch information for Sri Lankan pitches in 1988-1998 is as follows:

SRI LANKA
There are four Test grounds in Colombo. Premadasa Stadium wickets are usually easy paced but tend to break up on the final day. Spinners are the favoured breed at the Sinhalese Sports Club although the quickies are can sometimes find help from the hard and bumpy pitches that are sometimes produced.  Batsmen are often happier at the P Saravanamuttu Stadium where only spinners expect to find a bit of help and that not on a regular basis. The Khetterama Stadium too favours the batsmen although the bounce can sometimes be erratic and the seamers may be encouraged by conditions on the opening morning. At the Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy the wickets are often green with early help for the quicker bowlers. Spinners almost always get their share of the action on the final day here so batting is rarely easy. At Moratuwa the pitches tend to vary considerably. They can be bumpy or green, favouring the quicker bowlers, but more often offer more help to the spinners. Just occasionally a good batting wicket is produced, so much will depend on the morning inspection here.

The Premadasa Stadium in Colombo plays host to the 1st match of the tour.

Proposed Tours 1991/2

The following full international tours have been proposed for the 1991/2 season:

Pakistan to South Africa - 2 Tests, 3 ODIs
West Indies to Sri Lanka - 2 Tests, 3 ODIs
Australia to Zimbabwe - 2 Tests, 3 ODIs
England to New Zealand - 3 Tests, 5 ODIs

Sri Lanka to India - 2 Tests, 3 ODIs
Pakistan to Zimbabwe - 1 Test, 2 ODIs
South Africa to India - 2 Tests, 3 ODIs
Zimbabwe to Australia - 1 Test, 2 ODIs
Sri Lanka to Pakistan - 3 Tests, 5 ODIs
India to Australia - 5 Tests, 5 ODIs

ODI World Cup in Australia/New Zealand

Sri Lanka to Zimbabwe - 1 Test, 2 ODIs
South Africa to West Indies - 3 Tests, 3 ODIs
New Zealand to West Indies - 2 Tests, 3 ODIs

Pakistan to England - 5 Tests, 5 ODIs
Zimbabwe to England - 2 Tests, 3 ODis


The following international A tours have also been proposed for the 1991/2 season:

Pakistan A to Australia'
West Indies A to India
England A to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka
Australia A to New Zealand
Sri Lanka A to England

Site Introduction

This site will be a dedicated blog run to post news, results, match reports, scorecards, photos, and statistics for the Planet Cricket Forums story/league thread - International Cricket - 1991/2 onwards.
This will be an attempt by a group of players/managers to create an alternative cricket history featuring the 9 international teams with Test status in 1991/2 featuring players available at that time in history.
The matches will be simulated using Lambourne Games International Cricket, with the help of IC Helper to run the games.
All team selections and player and match discussions between managers will continue story's thread over on the Planet Cricket forum.
For now, welcome to the site, and I hope you enjoy the action to follow.

The 9 Test teams will compete for the coveted Test Mace for Number 1 Test Team