#Pak_vs_Aus #PakvAus Test Series Preview : Pakistan look for redemption after poor showing in LOIs It wouldn’t tax anyone ’s cognitive functions too much to conclude that after the debacles in Sri Lanka and the Limited Overs fixtures of the ongoing series against Australia , Pakistan would be looking for redemption. The team has gone without a Test series win, home or away , for nearly three years and the pressure that comes with that is evident . Pakistan has come close many times since the historic whitewash of England in January 2012 but always managed to find ways to prevent themselves from winning, be it by being bundled out for 99 in Dubai against South Africa or single-handedly reviving Rangana Herath’s moribund Test career. There isn’t much to suggest, on the surface, that this time will be any different. The same issues that have plagued Pakistan in every series since the one against England persist, to say nothing of the new ones that Pakistan could not be more ill equipped to cope with . Team selection still continues to leave many scratching their heads. Shan Masood has once again managed to find his way into the 16 man squad, a move that inspired many a raised eyebrows among those familiar with the way cricket is run in the country. Refreshingly though, some of the selections do inspire confidence in the ability of the new selection committee, with Haris Sohail, who scored a century in a warm up against Australia ’s full strength bowling attack, Yasir Shah, Ehsan Adil and Imran Khan all getting call ups after impressing consistently on the domestic circuit. Selection issues aside, Pakistan will need their batting to take their game up several notches from where it has been over the last few series. On paper, a batting lineup comprising the in-form Ahmed Shehzad, Younis Khan, arguably the finest Test batsman to don the whites for Pakistan since Javed Miandad, Misbah-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, who has several centuries to his name against tough opposition in recent years, and the dependably solid Azhar Ali looks strong. ‘On paper’ has never really meant much for Pakistan though. Stronger batting lineups than this one have succumbed to weaker attacks than the one Australia will be fielding in a few days so it’s never simple predicting how Pakistan will bat. Captain Misbah, on account of his poor recent form, will be under a great deal of pressure but he can take solace from the fact that in the two series before the last one, he scored a match winning century against South Africa and a magnificent half century to accomplish the fastest chase of a target over 300 in test cricket. Taufeeq Umar and Mohammad Hafeez, both returning from injury, will have much to prove given their poor performance in their last few Tests. Haris Sohail may or may not get a game but he made a strong case for himself with a century, that was controlled and devastating in equal measure, against Australia in a warm up game a few days prior. Pakistan ’s bowling , traditionally their stronger suit, has some massive gaping holes. With essentially the entire first choice bowling lineup out for one reason or another – Junaid Khan and Wahab Riaz are injured, Saeed Ajmal is barred from bowling due to technical issues with his action, and Mohammad Irfan is not being played in the longer format to minimize the risk of injury before the 2015 World Cup – Pakistan has to rely on a pace attack with ten Test matches between the three pacers in the squad and a spin lineup with only one bowler who has any international experience – Zulfiqar Babar – and not much at that. Under these conditions, it begs the question why Umar Gul, with 12 wickets in his last three first class innings including two five wicket hauls, and 11 wickets at 22 in his last full Test series in the UAE is not playing . Questions have been raised over both his fitness and ability but more may be raised in the aftermath of the series over the decision to not even select him for what is essentially Pakistan ’s second string pace attack. Australia enters the series as a much more settled unit than Pakistan . Most of the players from the team that steamrolled England in the most recent Ashes, before inflicting a similar fate on South Africa in their own backyard , is still intact. Captain Michael Clarke, Australia ’s best batsman in Test cricket by some distance, is back after recovering from a hamstring injury that had put a question mark over his involvement in the series though his form may be worrisome, having scored 10 and 5 in the recently concluded warm-up match against Pakistan A. Philip Hughes, after having a rough time in India last year, has much to prove on the spin friendly tracks of the UAE if he is to hold on to his place in the team. His 65 in the warm up match, the only performance of note in an otherwise hapless batting performance by Australia in the second innings may get him a spot in the playing XI. It will be interesting to see how he copes with Pakistan ’s spin heavy bowling lineup. The big surprise in Australia ’s team selection has been Limited Overs specialist Glenn Maxwell ’s inclusion in the team. Maxwell , who has played only two Test matches for 39 runs at an average of 9.75, has been successful against Pakistan in the UAE in Limited Overs cricket and given his recent form, it is not inconceivable that Australia may be tempted to give him a chance in the Test series. Australia ’s bowling has been on something of a hot streak over the last one year, due mainly to Mitchell Johnson. Johnson’s run of good form since his revival in last year’s Ashes will undoubtedly evoke memories of Waqar Younis in 1989-90 or Shoaib Akhtar in 2004-05. In his last eight Tests, Johnson has picked up 59 wickets at an average of 15 and, arguably, forced Graeme Smith and Jonathan Trott out of cricket. There will certainly be much discussion in the Pakistani camp over how to deal with him. Brett Lee has already predicted that Johnson will ‘rock’ Pakistan in the Test series. In an unusual move for Australia , it is expected that they may play two spinners in tandem, a move that hasn’t been very successful for them since the days of Shane Warne and Stuart McGill, two world class spinners who did not play together much. All rounder James Faulkner, the raw but promising Mitchell Starc and the dependable Peter Siddle put the advantage , as far as bowling is concerned, firmly with Australia . As the series commences on Wednesday, many questions linger. What lineup will Pakistan field? Will Haris Sohail get a game? Two spinners or one? How will Pakistan ’s batsman handle Mitchell Johnson? If the warm up match involving Pakistan A is anything to go by, the pitches in the UAE may do more to neutralize the Mitchell Johnson threat than they’re being given credit for. Johnson’s 21 overs in the game yielded just the solitary wicket for 61 runs. Pakistan , in the end, may end up in a battle against themselves after seeing off the Australian threat, as has been the case many times in the past, and as such, the batsmen in particular will have to mix their ability with a heavy dose of intelligence to prevent the kind of preventable fiascos triggered by, among others, Marcus North, Imran Tahir and Rangana Herath in the past. Here’s to a competitive series. #Danish_Afzal
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 07:28:49 +0000
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