Australia will look to continue their domination over Pakistan on this tour when the two teams meet in the first of two Tests at Dubai, but it remains to be seen whether they can adjust to the spinning tracks in this format of the game.
PAKISTAN VS AUSTRALIA – DAY 5 LIVE SCORES AND BLOG
You can follow the live scores and blog of this game starting 5pm AEDT.
Four matches into the tour, it would be fair to say that Australia have aced their opponents, Pakistan, so far. Every game, bar the final ODI, was won comfortably. That final 50-over game showed the side of Pakistan that one has seen so often – capitulating from a position of strength.
Test match cricket, however, will be a different kettle of fish. And that’s for both teams.
Saeed Ajmal’s absence notwithstanding, the conditions will fully test Australia. This includes the pitch and the weather, both of which can be expected to make things difficult for the visitors.
First, the pitch and while the chairman of selectors Rodney Marsh said he wanted to look at it on the first morning of the game before deciding the playing XI, rest assured it’s going to be spin-friendly. There have been talks of there being reverse swing as well and that could test the Aussies as much as the spin given their record.
The heat will play its part as well and how Michael Clarke uses his battery of bowlers will be a factor.
From the team selection point of view, Australia have a couple of reasonable choices – play Mitchell Marsh as the third seamer and bring in Steve O’Keefe to partner Nathan Lyon, or have Glenn Maxwell as their all-round option with Mitchell Starc playing support role to Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle.
In the absence of Ajmal, Pakistan will look at Zulfiqar Babar to lead the spin attack but in terms of company, they have Mohammad Hafeez and Yasir Shah. Hafeez will bat up the order and can be expected to bowl his quota of overs but whether or not Pakistan will play the leg-spin of Yasir will depend on how the track looks on the opening day of the Test.
The aforementioned reverse swing is the reason why Pakistan may not want to put all their eggs in the spin basket alone.
Pakistan will be more worried about their batting. Having struggled their way through the limited-overs leg of this tour, Pakistan will have that extra cushion in the form of Younis Khan and Hafeez, but captain Misbah-ul-Haq’s form continues to remain a worry.
Interestingly, the Pakistani selectors have opted to bring back Taufeeq Umar, who last played a Test match more than two years ago. An average of just under 39 may not be an eye-catching one, but it’s not as if the likes of Ahmed Shehzad, Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali have managed any better.
All in all, there is a lot of intrigue around this game, thanks mainly due to the respective problems both sides could face. Australia still hold the edge but given their last Test series in spin-friendly conditions had completely flattened them out – in India, 2013 – Pakistan might have a better shot at this than the ODIs.
Join me for this 1st Test between Pakistan and Australia from Wednesday here and you can follow the live score of this game from 4 pm and post your comments below.
Listen live:
Don Freo
Guest
Should have got one on the first of the day.
Clichael Mark
Guest
What's the pitch looking like for day 2. Any more in it for the bowlers? Saw some harsh turn from Lyon last night
ShmaxShmillas
Roar Rookie
Faulkner has a better first class batting and bowling record so I think your comment on shortening the batting line up is ridiculous. About the 5 bowlers, as if Marsh isn't there to be that 5th bowling option? Argument invalid.
matth
Guest
Looked like a smart day for them to me. Yes boring as anything, but the strategy for them is to avoid collapse and tire out our quicks. They've nearly managed that. If they get over 400 they probably don't lose. The other side of course is that they haven't really hurt us yet on the scoreboard.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Lyon had been fairly poor until then though - he was too flat and defensive for a lot of the day.
Scuba
Guest
Good work Pakistan - playing for a draw on day 1...
Nudge
Guest
Very impressive
Tom from Perth
Roar Rookie
Thanks Suneer
Tom from Perth
Roar Rookie
Lyon was really impressive at the end there. Unlucky not to get a wicket.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
What an over to end the proceedings. Pakistan have taken their score along to 4/219, in a what has been a dour set of batting performances from their middle-order. But it could have been a lot worse than that when the side lost both their openers for seven and with the ball hooping around the way it was. First Younis Khan and Azhar Ali took them out of trouble with an 118-run stand for the third wicket and then 83 more runs were added between Younis and Misbah ul Haq. Younis' century after all the controversy surrounding him in the lead-up to this tour will give him some respite, as would Misbah's unbeaten 34 that has come from 103 balls. Azhar made 54. The star of the day as far as the bowling is concerned was Mitchell Johnson. 20 overs of very quick bowling for 22 runs is superb going in any format and to then pick up three wickets was icing to the cake. He looked threatening throughout the day, something that cannot be said about anyone else, bar Siddle in his first spell. That's that from me for today, will be back tomorrow with the second day's play. Have a good evening ahead and you can chat up with @suneerchowdhary on Twitter! Ciao.
Nudge
Guest
Huge first hour tomor. If Pakistan get 300 or more I think we are in trouble.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Oh wow! Another appeal for lbw and this time Shafiq wasn't playing a shot! Will they go for a review? No, they won't... ...heart in the mouth for Shafiq! The question here is whether it would have hit the stumps, and the Hawk-Eye tells us that it was hitting the stumps, but not hitting it completely. So Australia have done well not to review it!
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Oh wow, there's a review being taken here. Shafiq was hit on the front pad, as he was looking to defend at it. The bat was taken off once he was hit on his pads, and the Hawk-Eye suggests it's hitting the leg-stump. It all depends on whether or not he was playing a shot at it and it looks like the batsman was playing a shot. That taking away of the bat after the ball hit the pad was a red herring. Given not-out.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Whoa! Almost a wicket... ...it was pitched outside the off from Lyon and the ball turns viciously into the batsman who is almost looking to leave it. The ball misses the bat and then the top of the off stump I suppose. 4/217 in the 90th
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
A fullish ball was flicked through mid-wicket with all that laziness that Misbah exudes while he is batting. The only runs in the Marsh over takes Pakistan to 4/217 in 89.
Johnno
Guest
I haven't been watching the game, but is this a 500-600 pitch Suneer, it sounds like the pitch is a road dead-flat. Suneer I'd like an article on the roar about the west indies-india sage if you get time, this week.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Seven runs from the 88th over of the day. Pakistan are 4/215, with Marsh to bowl his last over today.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Too short from Lyon and Shafiq has picked the length quickly enough, gone back and half-pulled, half-flicked it through mid-wicket for a four. Lyon's getting some turn here but can he find the right line and length for it? 4/214 in the 88th
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
If you think this is slow going, then spare a thought for what happened in 1956-57 in Karachi in a Test between Australia and Pakistan. Five and a half hours of bowling was done - and I am quite sure the over-rate was as good, if not better than now - and only 95 runs came off those five and a half hours. No rain or anything.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Another maiden. The count goes up. Marsh's contributed his fourth of the day. 4/208 in 87.