RAWALPINDI: Pakistan skipper Babar Azam Friday won the toss and elected to bat first on the first day of the Rawalpindi Test as the Green Shirts’ batting line-up faces one of the most difficult matches in recent history at home and in front of a home crowd against a formidable bowling attack.
Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique have opened for the Pakistan side.
Straight out of the T20 format, the majority of Pakistan’s top batsmen face a difficult adjustment to Test cricket, a fact that Pakistan captain Babar Azam attempted to downplay during the virtual conference a day before the series began.
“We are professional and aware of the hectic schedule. Some of our batsmen stayed busy training for Test cricket in Karachi and even have trained hard here during the last few days,” said Babar Azam, adding that he is confident that Pakistan will pose a tough challenge to Australia.
“On the sidelines of PSL, our leading bowlers were even seen bowling long spells to get ready for the Test series,” he said.
However, the truth is that the quick transition from the shortest format to the lengthier version, as well as the Australian cricket team’s overall record versus Pakistan, will put Pakistan’s batting line-up to the test.
The Aussies have so far won 33 out of 66 Tests that both countries have played. The fact that the Australian think-tank was seriously considering fielding a heavy bowling team for the Pindi Stadium shows that they are serious about business.
“We may go in the first Test at the Pindi Stadium with two spinners and three seamers. The playing XI will be announced on Friday morning. We are pretty sure on the final line-up but we want to look at the pitch early in the morning before naming the team,” Aussies skipper Pat Cummins said during his pre-Test media chat.
There is every likelihood that Australia would go into the Pindi Test with debutant leg-spinner Mitch Swepson rather than pick Aston Agar to accompany Nathan Lyon. “Swepson is ready for the big game. Agar has also responded well whenever given the opportunity. In this part of the world, leg-spin definitely plays some role. ”
Both teams cancelled their training sessions Wednesday morning because of the rain and wet weather. The weather is expected to be fine and sunny on Friday, with all hopes of a timely start to the series.
Reports from inside the Pakistan camp also say that the think-tank is considering giving Mohammad Wasim Junior a chance to play with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah.
Wasim, though he represented Pakistan in the shorter version of the game, has yet to get a Test cap. The depleted Pakistan pace attack is missing Haris Rauf (down with COVID-19) and Hasan Ali (ruled out with injury). All-rounder Faheem Ashraf, who usually acts as the third seamer, is also unavailable. Nauman Ali and the team’s hero during the last Test against Bangladesh, Sajid Khan, will be there as potent spin options.
“Going into any series, we never thought about who was missing out. “The team we are carrying is the best, and we are confident that we have the ability to give the powerful Australian team the best competition,” Babar hoped.
Australia’s real asset lies in their fast bowling armory, with captain Cummins leading the pack. In the 38 Tests, he has played so far, Cummins has picked up 185 wickets with an immaculate bowling average of just over 21 runs per wicket. Cummins, Mitchel Starc, Josh Hazelwood, and Nathan Lyon make it a formidable bowling attack.
Both teams are stacked with world-class players and proven Test performers who have made their names across multiple formats around the world. For Pakistan, Babar Azam, Azhar Ali, Fawad Alam, and Mohammad Rizwan are going to shoulder batting responsibilities, while Australia possesses batters like Steve Smith, David Warner, Usman Khawaja, and Marnus Labuschagne.
The two sides have kept a close eye on the Rawalpindi pitch, which has a tradition of being a sporting one. The last Test played at the venue was Pakistan’s 95-run triumph against South Africa almost a year ago.
Since the return of Test cricket to Pakistan in December 2019, this will be the fourth Test at the venue. The 2020 Pakistan-Sri Lanka match ended in a draw.
Playing XI:
Pakistan Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam (c), Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah
Australia: Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
Match officials: Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza (on-field), Asif Yaqoob (third umpire), Rashid Riaz (fourth umpire); Ranjan Madugalle (match referee).
