Pakistan v Australia in England - Test series preview
The last time Australia and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 did battle decked out in their whites, during the 2009/10 Australian summer, the result was a humiliating loss for the visitors and a subsequent enquiry into the reasons for their winless tour Down Under that resulted in a series of player suspensions, probations and fines (though appeals later reduced a number of the penalties).
As Pakistan “host” Australia in England for two Test matches, they’ll be hoping the result is a lot more respectable. Certainly, back-to-back victories over Australia in a pair of Twenty20s at Edgbaston will have instilled some confidence in the side, which had been helpless as Michael Hussey snatched an Australian victory from the jaws of defeat in the World Twenty20 semi-finals in their previous meeting.
As Pakistan’s game of captaincy musical chairs continues, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 (who is set to become his side’s third Test captain since the beginning of 2009) will be leading his side for this series, despite the fact he’s not played a Test match since 2006.
While the mercurial Afridi will be ending a four-year Test exile in this match, right-handed batsman Azhar Ali will be looking to launch his Pakistan Test career this series after being named in the squad to face Australia, though it will be no easy task for the 25-year-old to fill the hole left by Younus http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Khan-c71319 and Mohammad Yousuf at the top of the batting order, should he gain the chance to do so.
One Pakistani youngster who does seem to be primed to take the fight to the Australians, however, is Mohammad Aamer. The teenage pace prodigy captured three wickets in each of the Twenty20 matches against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 in Birmingham, and will be looking to cause a similar degree of damage to Ricky Ponting’s side in the Tests.
While coach Waqar Younis and Afridi will be looking to help their side put their tumultuous tour of Australia behind them here, their opponents will be hoping what may be a quartet of Test debutants in this series will be up to the task of assisting their side to carry on their winning five-day form against Pakistan.
With Brad Haddin forced to miss the entire tour of England with injury, Tasmanian wicketkeeper Tim Paine will be awarded the chance to wear the gloves in these two Tests and further stake his claim as Australia’s No.2 wicketkeeper.
Steven Smith is another rising Australian talent who is set to gain his break into the Test Arena as a result of injury, with first choice Test spinner Nathan Hauritz suffering a foot injury during the recent ODI series against England. So Ponting will, not for the first time in his career, have a blond leg-spinner at his disposal, and one who has some rather large shoes to fill as he follows in Shane Warne’s footsteps.
And as injury continues to impede Australian attempts at bedding down a settled bowling attack ahead of the 2010/11 Ashes, 203-cm fast bowler Peter George has been added to the Test squad to replace Ryan Harris, who headed home from the tour with a knee injury. Fortunately for the Aussies, Mitchell Johnson is available after his elbow infection, and if his 2-17 from 10 overs in the warm-up against Derbyshire is any indication, the paceman could be set to make amends for a disappointing 2009 Ashes performance in England.
The fourth potential Test debutant for Australia is Pakistan-born http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Usman-Khawaja-c2729, the left-handed batsman who will, if he makes his debut either at Lord’s or Leeds, become the first Muslim cricketer to play for the country.
It’s a series Australia will – despite their somewhat depleted stocks and what could be a reliance on a number of untried players to supplement the wealth of experience the likes of Ponting, Hussey, Michael http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120 and Simon Katich collectively bring to the side – be keen to win as they build towards attempting to reclaim the Ashes urn on home soil later this year.
But while it may be just the early stages of this latest attempt to bring some stability to the notoriously inconsistent Pakistan side, in light of their capitulation to Australia in their last Test series a respectable result here is surely essential for Afridi and company.
Prediction: Australia to win series 1-0.
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