Time for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 to drill home advantage: Pakistan v Australia, 2nd Test
The Match
The second match of the series between Australia and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 begins on July 21, and Australia will be looking to continue their strong play from the first match. Australia had won the first Test match that was played between the two sides at Lord’s and will go into this game at Headingley with much confidence.
Pakistan, on the other hand, are in shambles. They did not only lose the first game, they also lost their captain in the game because http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 decided that he had had enough of Test cricket, just four days into the job!
The Pitch:
The game will be played at Leeds in Headingley. The track at Leeds is tailor-made for the swing bowlers and so bowlers like Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer should have a ball of a time on the track, if they are able to deliver the lines and the lengths expected out of them.
Australia:
Australia have their own issues but they are much less controversial in nature. In the last three days, they have almost lost two of their better players, who have not been able to practice with the team due to fitness issues. Hilfenhaus, who was returning to the team after a long lay-off due to an injury hurt his shoulder again, in the first game and did not attend practice. On the other hand, Marcus North, one of Australia’s stars with the ball in his hand in the previous game was down with an upset stomach and also missed the training.
Australia has called up Andy McKay to back the side, but if Hilfenhaus doesn't get fit in time for the game, there is a good chance that the Peter George will become Australia’s third debutant for the series. Similarly, if North remains unfit, Usman Khwaja could be handed over a Test cap. Khwaja playing against Pakistan would be an interesting experience, as the Aussie was actually born there.
The Playing Eleven:
There will be no change to the line-up from the previous game if everyone if fit, but one gets the sense that Hilfenhaus may not recover in time and George will get the call-up.
Players to watch out for:
Australia had changed their batting order in the previous game and got http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120 up to the number four position. This is a big challenge for Clarke, and he will want to make sure that he grabs this opportunity to move up the order with both the hands.
Pakistan:
The Pakistan story is typically what their cricket has symbolised in the last few months. Afridi was expected to take control over the side, but what he did instead was to come in, play a game and then retire. He may be slammed for doing what he did, but the plain fact of the matter is that the cricket board is equally to blame.
So, for now, it is Salman Butt who will lead the side for Pakistan. And that puts him in a bit of a spot as a batsman. For one, the Aussies have this known penchant to attack the opposition captain because they believe that if the captain struggles to make his innings count, then the rest of the side also follows. Secondly, Butt has been struggling with his own batting form in recent times and only just managed to crawl back to some form before he has been saddled with this role. Things could interesting for the Pakistani side!
The Playing Eleven:
Afridi will miss out on this game because of his injury and that means that Shoaib Malik could get a look-in to the playing eleven. The rest of the bowling line-up should remain the same.
Players to watch out for:
Captain Butt will be watched closely given the circumstances in which he was given the captaincy.
Team and Player Odds:
Australia go into the game as favourites, with Bet365 giving 1.8 if they win. Pakistan’s first loss means that Stan James gives out 7.5 for their win while a draw is at 3.
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