Captain Michael Clarke’s Australian one-day side will have two days on the training track in the heatwave conditions of the United Arab Emirates before taking on Afghanistan on Saturday in Sharjah.

The Aussies will then play Pakistan in three one-dayers and three Twenty20 games.

Acting head coach Steve Rixon says if Australia can cope well with the heat it will be a good warm-up for next month’s T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.

Saturday’s game is due to start at 6pm local time and continue after midnight in a bid to avoid the 40-degree heat.

“It’s one of the very few times in the 30-odd years I’ve been around international and state cricket that you actually had to keep people up to make sure they’re looked after best,” Rixon said on Wednesday.

“However it is very important that we do get those patterns right.

“Our guys will have to eat late tonight and just start the pattern. We need to start the patterns now so by the time the first game comes around, we’ll be starting to build some sort of body clock that’s going to work for us.”

Rixon says the Aussie players will be having breakfast between 11am and 1pm in the UAE.

“We’ll be in night-cricket mode, although it will be warm,” he said.

“But we’re not getting the (sun) rebound off the ground which is always a big problems at most cricket grounds.

“So to me, just get on with it.

“It will be ideal for us. If we get through this, Sri Lanka will seem like a holiday resort.

“It’s so important we get some miles in the legs so to speak and this is the very best place to doing it.

“Whatever happens here will be a very big stepping stone to us being successful in Sri Lanka.”

Head coach Mickey Arthur is working on T20 tactics and will join the squad in Dubai before the George Bailey-led Aussies begin their three-match T20 series against Pakistan on September 5.