ENGLAND MEN’S TEST TEAM IN ABU DHABI TRAINING

The England Men's Test team held their first session Abu Dhabi Cricket & Sports Hub on Sunday, kicking-off their seven-day training camp at the UAE capital's premier cricketing facility.

England's trip to Abu Dhabi serves as the pre-cursor to their historic tour of Pakistan, with captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum using the time to get their side up to speed after a memorable few months for English cricket.

The likes of Joe Root and Jimmy Anderson were all put through their paces on day one of the camp as England's stars practiced between the Tolerance Oval and the world-class international net facilities.

Opening batter Keaton Jennings, who was last at Abu Dhabi Cricket & Sports Hub in 2017, was thrilled to be back at the venue ahead of a critical series for the left-hander.

"The facilities have changed quite a bit since I was last here," said Jennings. "I think only this field and the one just behind me was here and there were no practice areas or anything. It's changed a hell of a lot; you've got all the fields off to the left, tennis courts and all the rest. It's an amazing facility."

Jennings, back in the Test side after a three-year absence, hopes the intensity of England's visit, paired with their incredible surrounds, will serve both him and his team well for when they eventually arrive in Pakistan for their three-Test series.

He added: "We've got a few training days and we've got a three-day game against the Lions and then we fly off to Pakistan on Saturday. So it will be three or four really intense training days and then a nice hard three-day game, so it'll be an exciting few days.

"It's really important because you want to make sure you come and you put yourself in the best place to perform out in Pakistan. So you want good facilities, you want to be able to hit as many balls as you can and put yourself in that good place.

"I'm really happy to be here and just really happy to be taking an English shirt along with me. I think when you fall out of the equation you realize what it means to put on an English shirt, so I'm really happy to be back in the fold."

During their stay, England - who lifted the ICC Men's T20 World Cup just a week ago - will take on their England Lions counterparts in a three-day game from 23-25 November at the venue's recently ICC-accredited Tolerance Oval.

Entry is free for that game, with food and beverages available at the ground, while the Abu Dhabi T10 - which starts on Wednesday - will be in full swing at the same time on the adjacent Zayed Cricket Stadium.

It makes for an extraordinary month at Abu Dhabi Cricket & Sports Hub, where England's U19 team will also be training, while community sport will continue to be a hive of activity and The Boundary will be showing every live match from the FIFA World Cup in Qatar on its enormous outdoor screen.

‍