It’s a difficult one because in some ways, the sub-continent has always been a difficult place to tour, particularly for England – but not exclusively – and there have been some good performances as well as some poor performances,” Atherton added.
“England have won a lot of games on the sub-continent; they won in Sri Lanka last year, they won in India the year before that, so they are capable of winning on these surfaces.
“But they are also capable of losing – and losing heavily – as we saw in the first Test against Pakistan.
“I think it’s a difficult balance to strike.”
So, while Pakistan may be desperate to produce a turning track, it may not be as easy as they hope. The history of the ground and the nature of the pitch itself may work against their plans.
It will be interesting to see how the pitch plays out in the upcoming Test match and how both teams adapt to the conditions. With England losing one of their super strengths on a turning track, it could make for an intriguing contest between bat and ball.