Coach Waqar Younis was upset when his feedback was not welcomed by the curator at the Lord’s ground while preparing the pitch for the first Test. “Waqar was told that no one tells the curators in England what sort of pitches to prepare although the Pakistan coach just wanted a surface that was balanced and good for batting and also helped the spinners later on,” one source said.

Sources said Pakistan camp was wary over the sort of pitch they will encounter in the first Test as the team included several players who had never played before at the historic ground.

According to a report in the The News, the ICC is calling the shots in England as far as the pitch preparation is concerned for the two-Test series. “In spite of being the ‘home series’ for Pakistan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has nothing to do with the pitch preparations and even the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are not being taken in confidence,” the report said.

Team is united: Afridi

Meanwhile, on the eve of his first Test match as captain, Shahid Afridi insisted on Monday that his Pakistan side is united and that the disciplinary issues that marred its Australia tour seven months ago are a thing of the past. Pakistan meets Australia which has not lost a Test to Pakistan for 15 years at Lord’s on Tuesday in the first of two Test matches.

“As a captain I am trying to keep the guys as close as I can,” Afridi said. “Normally, I will take the boys for a dinner together. The communication problem is not any more now. “We are all sitting together, talking to each other. They come to me or the coach with their problems. It is not easy (keeping the unity), especially as they all come from different cultures and cities, but I respect the guys and they are feeling good under my captaincy.”

For Afridi and Pakistan it is a fresh start. Afridi is playing his first Test match in four years while Pakistan’s previous Test series was a 3-0 defeat in Australia. Several sanctions were meted out to players following that tour for disciplinary infractions.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting said he is aware of the issues they have had to contend with. “You never know but they are a team which is renowned for having their up and down days,” Ponting said. “You never know what’s happening behind closed doors. We saw the bans and the fines that came out, but that’s none of our business and all we can concentrate on is our own cricket over the next 10-12 days.”

Australia is building toward the Ashes series against England in November, Ponting said, and will give test debuts to leg-spinner Steven Smith and reserve wicketkeeper Tim Paine. Afridi admitted it is easier to play Australia since the retirements of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and “especially Matthew Hayden” but was less certain about playing a home series in England.