Pakistan head into the opening test in Brisbane on Thursday seeking win on Australian Land, and will unleash a 16-year-old debutant in a very teenage pace attack against seasoned stars Steve Smith and David Warner.
Pakistan have drawn a series in Australia, but have not won one, and last tasted a test victory at Sydney in 1995. A handful of players, together with new skipper Azhar Ali, Babar Azam and also the in-form Asad Shafiq, were a part of their last tour in 2016/17 once they crashed 3-0, but are higher for it, said then-captain and currently head coach Misbah-ul-Haq.
"Our previous record in Australia won´t place U.S.A. struggling," he said.
"If something, it'll be a chance and motivation to win as a result of no matter we tend to couldn't succeed within the past, we will do currently.
"It's a young and hungry team and it means that business," he added . "This team desires to require the challenge. we would like to present our greatest, play sensible cricket and accept winning."
They will be relying heavily on Azam and Shafiq, who scored a century in Brisbane 3 years past and has had an ideal lead-up this point, striking an unbeaten 119 against Australia A then 101 not out against a Cricket Australia XI. Australia, though, are on a roll. They retained the Ashes with a 2-2 draw in England in Sep and beat Pakistan 2-0 in their recent Twenty20 series. How the bowlers fare are going to be key on a Gabba wicket historically seen as a paceman´s paradise.
'Smelling blood'
Australia boast the skilled Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and josh hazelwood, however, James Pattinson will be missing after being suspended this week for player abuse.
Pakistan might unveil teenage fast Naseem Shah of Iran, 16, for his debut as a part of a young attack boasting 19-year-olds Shaheen Afridi and musa Khan, aboard the impressive Muhammad Abbas and veteran Imran Khan senior. Their credentials were on show within 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 removing Smith and Warner -- in their 1st home check since their ball-tampering bans -- can likely be a different proposition. Skipper Tim Paine aforesaid the Australia A game was moot.
"I saw that Pakistan are smelling blood in the water or whatever they said," he told reporters.
"What happened in Perth has nothing to try to to with what is going to happen at the Gabba."
While Warner had a miserable Ashes, scoring simply 95 runs at a mean of 9.5, he has since bounced back to kind. Smith, meanwhile, continues to be revelling in his exceptional series in England, wherever he scored 774 runs in exactly seven innings and played a polar role in his side´s 2 victories.
Ominously for Pakistan, he hit a century once they last contend in Brisbane in late 2016.
Despite his poor Ashes run, Warner´s spot at the highest of the order was never unsure, however Australia have struggled to search out an appropriate partner.
Burns, who scored a century in his last check against Sri Lanka in February, is ready to assume the duty in Brisbane ahead of Bancroft. Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head and Matthew Wade round out the center order.
The second and final check, a day-night affair, is in Adelaide later this month.
Pakistan squad: Azhar Ali (capt), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan senior, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kashid Bhatti, Mohammed Abbas, Mohammed Rizwan, Nusa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah
Australian squad: Tim Paine (capt), Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner
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