Weather frustrates Pakistan

Bad weather is hampering Pakistan's build-up to their series against India and is threatening to leave them with very little practice ahead of the opening Test on March 8 in Mohali. They are due to start a three-day match against a Board President's XI in Dharamshala on Wednesday but their Tuesday practice session was lost to the weather and the forecast is not set to improve before the weekend.

The Pakistan squad arrived in New Delhi on Monday and then transferred to Dharamshala, which has been chosen as the warm-up venue because of its cooler climate but that decision now looks like backfiring. There was also snowfall in the surrounding areas of Himachal Pradesh. Pakistan manager Salim Altaf told the AFP news agency, "We are here to play and do not want to go into the Test series short of match practice. I wish the rain would go away."

The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association are organising their first international match and have been frustrated by the onset of the poor weather. President Anurag Thakur said, "It is sad. We are providing some of the best facilities in the country but we are helpless before nature. It is raining in Mohali also. So even there it would have been difficult to practise. You can never predict the weather in Himachal Pradesh, everyone is keeping their fingers crossed."