Former Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has compared the return of cricket, amid novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, with deaf cricket.

Deaf cricket is a form of the game which is adapted for deaf and those who have slight hearing problems — which makes Ajmal’s take a strange one.

“It would be boring for players and, in a way, similar to deaf cricket because there will be no crowd to watch the match,” said Ajmal during a teleconference.

“I would request the authorities to allow a limited number of fans in the stadium. For example, 1,000 people in a venue with a capacity of 10,000,” he added.

He also termed England as favourites to win the Test series against Pakistan, which is scheduled to take place in August.

“I think England are clear favourites because Pakistan’s track record in Test cricket, in the recent past, is not very good. I would be surprised if Pakistan even wins one match,” he said. “Our team is inexperienced and has a lot of young players in it.”

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A 20-player Pakistan squad arrived in England, through a chartered flight from Lahore, on Sunday.

Upon arrival in Manchester, the squad was transported to Worcestershire where they will undergo the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) testing before completing their 14-day isolation period, during which they will be allowed to train and practice. The side will move to Derbyshire on July 13.

According to the tentative schedule, the first Test will be played on August 5 in Manchester. Pakistan will play the remaining two games in Southampton, starting on August 13 and 21 respectively.

Pakistan will also play three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) in Southampton on August 29, 31 and September 2.