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Test tours outside Asia have been quite rare for Pakistan lately, and four-Test series even rarer, which is why the next five weeks will be huge for their players and their fans. The last time Pakistan played a four-Test series was also in England, in 2010, on a tour that was fraught with controversy. Since then, they have largely been Asia-bound in Tests.Since June 2011, Pakistan have played 37 Tests, of which 31 have been in Asia - 19 in the UAE, eight in Sri Lanka and four in Bangladesh. Of the remaining six Tests, three have been in Zimbabwe and three in South Africa. And while Pakistans results in Asia have been very encouraging - 16 wins and seven defeats - they lost all three on the tour to South Africa in 2013.Pakistans lopsided Test schedule is a damning reflection of uneven distribution of matches over the last few years. Since June 2011, they have played three Tests outside Asia (excluding games in Zimbabwe), compared to 24 by India and 17 by Sri Lanka in the same period. (Even after this four-Test series in England, Pakistans tally will only go up to seven, less than a third of Indias number.) This lack of exposure to overseas conditions has denied their current players the opportunities to develop in different conditions, and has therefore hurt the team as well. Azhar Ali, for instance, has been playing Test cricket for six years now, but hasnt yet played a Test in Australia, and only three in South Africa.When the Tests do get underway, Pakistan will hope that their batsmen do a bit better than they have on their last few overseas series. Admittedly, it is difficult for batsmen to adjust to conditions they arent accustomed to - especially when the tours are so infrequent - but Pakistans batsmen will at least have the benefit of playing in the second half of the English season, when less rain is expected and conditions are likely to be better for batting.Among the countries with conditions that are most unlike those in Asia, Pakistan have struggled the most in Australia, England and South Africa over the last 15 years. In New Zealand they have done relatively well, winning two of their last three series, and drawing the other. However, in Australia, England and South Africa, Pakistan have struggled in the last decade and a half, winning only four Tests and losing 21. They have only drawn one Test out of 26 in these countries. In nine series, they have lost seven, and drawn two - against England in 2001 (1-1), and against Australia in England in 2010 (1-1). They have lost three times to Australia, and twice each to England and South Africa. In most of those series, the batting has been Pakistans biggest problem: only twice in those nine series has their batting average gone beyond 26, while they have averaged below 25 six times. The bowling has disappointed too at times, but for Pakistan that has always been their stronger suit.Since 2000, Pakistan have played 86 Tests in Asia and lost only 22, but in Australia, England and South Africa they have lost 21 out of 26. The batting average drops by 38%, from 38.95 to 24.14, while the bowling average is only slightly poorer. The batsmen have also scored 1.5 hundreds per Test in Asia during this period, compared to less than one every two Tests in these three countries. The deterioration in batting quality will worry Pakistans think-tank. In the 1980s and 1990s, armed with batsmen like Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf, Pakistan did better in overseas conditions. They obviously didnt play in South Africa in the 1980s, but when West Indies are included instead, Pakistans batting average remains exactly the same - 32.08. Among the batsmen in their current squad, Younis Khan and Azhar are the only batsmen to have played more than one Test innings in England. Younis has been superb, averaging 52.22 from nine innings, with four 50-plus scores, but Azhar averages 26.45, with two half-centuries from 12 innings. Misbah-ul-Haq hasnt yet played a Test match in England.Adding all Tests played in Australia and South Africa to the mix, Younis average drops to 40.60, but it is still the best among the batsmen in Pakistans current squad. Asad Shafiq averaged 33.16 in the one series he played in South Africa, but Azhar and Misbah average under 25 in these countries. Against the likes of Stuart Broad and Steven Finn, they have will to do much better than that if Pakistan are to stand a chance over the next five weeks. If they do put the runs on the board, then given that the bowling attack includes Mohammad Amir and Yasir Shah, Pakistan could well give England a far tougher test than Sri Lanka did in the first half of the summer. Air Jordan 3 Discount . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. Cheap Nike Air Jordan 3 . 10 VCU 85-67 on Thursday night at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Seminoles (4-0) have scored at least 80 points in each of their games. http://www.cheapairjordan3.net/ . Kozun faked to the forehand and beat Monsters starter, Calvin Pickard, pad side in the second round for the winner. Spencer Abbott also scored in the shootout for the Marlies (25-13-4). Cheap Air Jordan 3 For Sale . A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne. Air Jordan 3 Outlet .Y. -- Jayna Hefford scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a scare with a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey tournament. K Srikanth cant wait to get back on court. Laid low for nearly three months by an ankle injury sustained at the Japan Superseries, his eagerness and anticipation to return to action at the Premier Badminton League (PBL) in January is palpable. I only started my rehab a week ago followed by training, he says. Its going a little slow now. Maybe after the league Ill be back to full training.The defeat against defending champion Lin Dan in the quarterfinals at the Rio Olympics still rankles. Especially, since he missed out on creating a little bit of history. Before the match I knew it would be a life-changing experience, says Srikanth, who is coached by P Gopichand. Had I won, I would have become the first Indian male badminton player to make the Olympic semi-finals. And the kind of form that I was in in Rio, I had a very good chance against any player.After losing the opening game, Srikanth regrouped to draw level in the second and left Lin visibly rattled. But a couple of errors in the decider proved too costly for the Indian. You cant plan too much when youre playing someone like Lin Dan, Srikanth told ESPN in Bengaluru on Friday. All you can do is keep the shuttle inside and play as big you can and not make simple errors. I had my chances but couldnt take them. I guess thats what experience teaches you.Rated highly for his attacking prowess, Srikanth, 22, has a fair amount of versatility in his shots, often mixing drops and jump-smashes to leave opponents flummoxed. He had unleashed much of his arssenal of shots against Lin, earning grudging respect from Chinese quarters.ddddddddddddrikanth says the doubles sessions of his early years come in handy at the net even today. Until my juniors I played all three events [singles, doubles, mixed doubles], but once you enter the seniors you need to change your game, strokes and strategies, he says. Theres the danger of becoming predictable. My early years doubles training is something that keeps me different from other players, so I wanted to retain it even after I was solely focusing on singles. It adds an element of intrigue.The most expensive Indian player at the PBL auctions for the upcoming edition -- Awadhe Warriors successfully bid Rs 51 lakh for him -- Srikanth says it is the quality of the contests rather than big money that draws him to the league. When I played my first IBL in 2013, I was a junior and just the opportunity of playing alongside top-ranked players like [Lee] Chong Wei helped me fathom international standards, he says. At the PBL at the start of this year, I won against Chong Wei and that was a massive boost for my confidence ahead of the Olympics.Srikanth doesnt want to look too far ahead. It is only the PBL (January 1-14) and the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold (January 24-29) thats on his platter at the moment. Im being a little picky with tournaments for now, he says. I need to work on my consistency. ' ' '