The Australian tour of the United Arab Emirates has a rather haphazard feel about it. Scheduled somewhat last minute, in neutral territory, the format has exemplified Australia’s packed calendar.
The Test leg of the tour is now upon us, and while two-Test series are the bane of international cricket, it will provide a great assessment for a touring Australian side.
While the Aussie bowling stocks are stacked longer than the line out of Centrelink on a Thursday morning, the batting depth provides nowhere near the same luxury. Question marks still hang over Alex Doolan and Phil Hughes in particular, while Steve Smith will be eager to continue his purple patch.
With Shane Watson ruled out with yet another injury, the competition for the all-rounder spot heats up, with James Faulker, Mitch Marsh and Glenn Maxwell all vying to fill the void. Given Watson’s injury-interrupted career, these three may be fighting for the spot on a permanent basis.
For Pakistan, their preparation for this series has included losing their frontline spinner, Saeed Ajmal, due to a dodgy action, and having their captain, Misbah ul-Haq, ‘voluntarily’ sitting out the final ODI.
There is also a question mark on allrounder Mohammed Hafeez, who was withdrawn from the limited overs squad with a hand injury, although he seems to have recovered.
Pakistan are more renowned for their limited overs prowess, and have dropped to sixth in the ICC Test rankings as a result of several inconsistent years. Their top six have seen changes galore over the past two years, with Misbah being the only player consistently in the side.
A surprise inclusion in the squad was Younis Khan. After being dropped from the ODI side to take on Australia, and subsequently out of contention for the World Cup, Younis challenged the selectors to build a side without him, and informed them not to pick him for Tests, although he did not retire. The public spat must have been resolved, and luckily for Pakistan, as Younis provides the only real experienced bat in what is otherwise an order prone to collapse.
Form
(Last 10 completed Tests – most recent first)
Australia: WLWWWWWWDLD – second ICC Rankings
Pakistan: LLWLDLWLWW – sixth ICC Rankings
Australia is the form pony in the Test arena at present. They bounced back from a loss to England in the Ashes last winter to have only suffered one Test loss in the last 12 months.
Pakistan has been less consistent. Six of the previous ten Tests have been against Sri Lanka, with both sharing the spoils, and while they posted a win at home against South Africa, they also managed to lose a Test against minnows Zimbabwe in September last year.
Players to watch: Mitchell Marsh and Stephen O’Keefe
Marsh has an injury cloud over him, and Faulkner has been brought in as cover, however if he debuts all eyes will be on Marsh. He will be looking to fill in the spot left by Watson, and carry the expectation that has been laid on him by all those in the know.
Meanwhile O’Keefe will have to hope the selectors opt for two spinners, as Nathan Lyon is still the incumbent tweaker. If he does play, O’Keefe should impress with both bat and ball, and will look to cement his number two spinner’s status.
Key match-up: Australian batsmen versus spin
Chris Rogers voiced what every Aussie batsman was thinking: thank goodness we’re not facing up to Saeed Ajmal. However, Ajmal was only one half of the spin-twins. Abdur Rehman’s record over the last three years has been just as menacing, and he will spin the ball away from our right-handed batsmen.
Pakistan are stacked deep with spin options, and by delaying the announcement of their final squad, the Aussies don’t know which form of spin they’ll face, whether it be Rehman, Zulfiqar Babar, or young guns Raza Hasan or Karamat Ali.
Team composition
My XI: David Warner, Chris Rogers, Alex Doolan, Michael Clarke ©, Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Brad Haddin (wk), Steven O’Keefe, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon
A lot still hinges on the match fitness of Clarke and Marsh, and Cricket Australia won’t want risk bringing either back prematurely, especially with a big home series ahead.
All touring sides to the UAE over the past two years have fielded two spinners, as the pitches and conditions are conducive to spin, not to mention the toll the humid and hot weather takes on fast men.
Doolan is still a question at three, but given Hughes’ struggles against spin, the Tassie batsman should get another go at first drop.
Prediction
2-nil Australia
It won’t be as easy as the scoreline suggests, but Australia should come away with the points from this series. Pakistan have too many internal issues to deal with, and their five-day form leaves a lot to be desired.
Expect Australia to rely heavily on their bowlers, not just with the ball but with valuable tail-end runs. Both sides will be prone to collapses.
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