Australia vs Pakistan: 1st Test, Preview - Azhar Ali and Co hope to kick off their WTC campaign on a positive note

Naseem Shah is set to make his debut for Pakistan.

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Pakistan squad
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Pakistan squad. (Photo by SAEED KHAN/AFP /AFP via Getty Images)

Australia have convincingly kicked off their home summer by humbling Sri Lanka 3-0 and then Pakistan 2-0 in T20Is. They have set plans and are extremely focussed on improving the finer aspects of their T20 game in the build-up to the ICC World T20 to be played in familiar conditions next year.

Now the focus shifts to the longest form of the game – Test cricket. Australia take on Pakistan in a two-match series starting on Friday at The Gabba in Brisbane. Post the rejig and reshuffle of their top management, Pakistan haven’t managed to win too many games of cricket. They would want to put that behind them as they look ahead to what’s going to be a daunting challenge against Australia on their home turf.

Australia are coming on the back of an excellent Ashes campaign where they managed to retain the urn. Apart from Steve Smith, all their batsmen are struggling for form and Pakistan will be well aware of the same. If Smith gets out early by any chance, the visitors could put pressure on them. Having said that, playing at home, the Aussies are at their best and to make things worse for Pakistan, the hosts haven’t lost a game at The Gabba since 1988.

Team Combination

Australia

The hosts will be buoyant and will look to use the home advantage to the fullest. They are playing a Test after the fiercely fought Ashes series that ended 2-2. Most of the players involved in that high octane series will be in action against Pakistan. While David Warner had a miserable Ashes, scoring just 95 runs at an average of 9.5, he has since bounced back into form in the T20Is against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. All eyes would be on him to convert his recent good form into the Test series.

Steve Smith, meanwhile, is still revelling in his remarkable series in England and rightly so, where he scored 774 runs in just seven innings. Ominously for Pakistan, he hit a century when they last played in Brisbane in late 2016. Despite his poor Ashes run, Warner’s spot at the top of the order was never in doubt, but Australia have struggled to find a suitable partner.

Joe Burns, who scored a century in his last Test against Sri Lanka in February, is set to assume the job in Brisbane ahead of Cameron Bancroft. Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head and Matthew Wade round out the middle order. The bowling line up would feature the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazelwood and Nathan Lyon.

Playing XI: David Warner, Joe Burns, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Tim Paine (C & WK), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon.

Pakistan

Pakistan head into the opening Test in Brisbane in search of a rare win on Australian soil and could unleash a teenage pace attack against the seasoned stars. Pakistan have drawn a series in Australia, but have never won, and last tasted a Test victory at Sydney in 1995.

Only few players including new skipper Azhar Ali, Babar Azam and the in-form Asad Shafiq, were part of their last tour in 2016/17 when they crumbled to a 3-0 defeat. They would rely very heavily on the able shoulders of the trio to score runs and keeping their side in the hunt against the hosts.

Naseem Shah, 16, is set to make his debut as part of a young attack boasting 19-year-olds Shaheen Afridi and Musa Khan, alongside the impressive Muhammad Abbas and veteran Imran Khan senior. Their credentials were on show in the build-up against an Australian A team in Perth featuring Test players Joe Burns, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft, dismissing them for 122. But can they deliver when it matters most at the Gabba?

Probable XI: Azhar Ali (C), Imam-ul-Haq/Shan Masood, Haris Sohail, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Shaheen Afridi, Yasir Shah, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Abbas/Imran Khan

Focus will be on

David Warner (Australia)

The dynamic opening batsman had a torrid return to Test cricket in the Ashes where he managed to score just 95 runs in the series. His technique against the swinging ball were exposed by England’s Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer. He will be in familiar territory at the Gabba. Warner averages a mind-blowing 67.79 in home games, so that should give him ample confidence and self-belief to get back into runs in the longest form of the game for his country again. It would be interesting to see how the likes of Naseem Shah, Mohammad Abbas go up against him.

Naseem Shah (Pakistan)

Pakistan seem to have unearthed another teenage sensation, in the form of 16-year-old Naseem Shah. He caught the attention of everyone with an impressive show in the tour game against Australia A at Perth recently. All eyes would be on how he goes and what he can bring to the table as far as international cricket goes. The pitch and conditions would suit him but will the Australian batsmen allow him to get settled?

Stat Attack

12 – Pakistan have lost each of their last 12 Test matches in Australia.

27 – Steve Smith needs only 27 runs to complete 7000 runs in Test cricket and if he reaches the milestone within next 6 innings, he will be the fastest.

Broadcast Details

TV- Sony Six, Sony Six HD

Live Streaming – Sony LIV

Match Timing –  5:30 AM IST; 12 AM GMT; 10 AM local

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