Pakistan. Australia battle in the UAE
‘BAGGY GREENS’ TO INTRODUCE THREE DEBUTANTS DURING THE FIRST TEST IN DUBAI
Australia and Pakistan will be looking to shrug off their recent setbacks, in the two-Test series beginning at the Dubai International Stadium today.
More than a test of skills, it will be a psychological battle for both the teams to ride over current pressures and perform at their best.
For Australia, it is their first Test since the infamous South Africa tour that ended with their captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner getting banned following a ball tampering scandal.
Pakistan, meanwhile, are reeling under pressure of having performed poorly in the Asia Cup and the impact of having lost heavily twice to arch-rivals India.
“Host” team Pakistan’s captain, Sarfraz Ahmad, put on a brave face during the prematch press conference when Gulf News asked whether his team has been able to overcome the impact of the poor showing in the Asia Cup.
“The Asia Cup is gone, it is past now,” he said. “We are not thinking about the Asia Cup at all. We are thinking of the Test series. I think the team morale is very high. We are here now with a different frame of mind and hopefully, we will do well in the Test series.”
Tim Paine, who stepped into the Smith’s role as captain also saw a positive outlook.
“We are fortunate enough to get back together after what happened [in South Africa], it’s a great opportunity for some new players, new group of players, new coach, but still the Australian team hasn’t changed,” he said.
Exuding confidence, Paine even announced the playing XI before the match.
The first Test will see three players Marnus Labuschagne, Aaron Finch and Travis Head making their debut.
“It’s really exciting when you have three guys making debut in the next couple of days. It’s a little bit of a new era but we are hopeful that the guys who were involved will be back in the next six or eight months.”
Australian teams, in the past, have often been found wanting when it comes to adapting to conditions in UAE and the subcontinent-type wickets here. Replying to a query about how the team finds the conditions, Paine said: “The pitch looks like as we expected, pretty good for batting and hopefully take spin later in the game.”
Right spirit
Meanwhile, Sarfraz said he hoped the series will be played in the right spirit.
Paine was even seen shaking hands with Sarfraz. After the July T20 Tri nation series final in Zimbabwe, Australia’s all-rounder Glenn Maxwell had ignored Sarfraz’s offer for a customary end-of-the-game handshake which led to huge backlash on social media.