Australia need to 'adjust' to UAE conditions - Sutherland

Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive James Sutherland has said Australia will 'need to adjust to' the conditions in the UAE for their upcoming series against Pakistan, but the required adjustment will not be 'that significant'.

Australia are set to play three Twenty20s and three ODIs in the UAE in in August and September, with the matches beginning in the late evening to avoid the worst of the daytime heat. The heat and the decision to start the one-dayers at 6pm - meaning the scheduled finish is 1.45am - continue to be an issue with the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) though.

"It'll be hot, but the sun's not going to be shining and that's probably the really important factor there," Sutherland told AAP. "In terms of the hours, it's not ideal but at the same time it's just an adjustment that the players will need to [make]. It's the same for both teams.

"There are many people in the world who work different hours and these will be different hours for our players, unconventional hours for cricket perhaps. But the game's only going a couple of hours later than it would ordinarily, so I'm not sure that adjustment is really that significant."

CA officials will visit the UAE next week, to assess the conditions. There had been much debate over the actual make-up of the series, which is a 'home' series for Pakistan. The ACA had expressed its concerns about playing ODIs in such hot weather, prompting the series to be changed to a six-match Twenty20 affair, which was approved by the ICC in June. However, the PCB then approached the Australian board, putting forward a request to review the composition of the series once again. ESPNcricinfo understands that the series' broadcaster had objected to six Twenty20s for commercial reasons. The new schedule was announced by the PCB earlier this month.

The venue of the series had also been an issue. It was initially scheduled to be played in Sri Lanka but Pakistan were forced to search for an alternate venue after Sri Lanka backed out in May, citing the clash in the dates with the inaugural Sri Lanka Premier League.