Australia skipper Steven Smith has announced an unchanged side on Saturday for the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), his Pakistan counterpart Misbah-Ul-Haq had different set of ideas to look at while not revealing the playing XI for the second Test as the visitors are desperate to level the 3-match Test series at MCG.
“Let’s see tomorrow. But we know and are sure about the bowling combination that we will have tomorrow. We are clear about our strategy,” Misbah said when he was asked about the Playing XI for the 2nd Commonwealth Bank Test.
Pakistan was heavily criticized in the day-night opener by cricket experts after taking field with three left-armers which they believe lacked the variety after going with one-dimensional bowling attack.
After long practice sessions on slab which became focus of attention over the media platform, there seems a strong possibility that Pakistan might go with one right-arm fast bowler either Sohail Khan or Imran Khan even after their head coach Mickey Arthur had given solid reasons to go with three southpaws for the first Test which didn’t yield too much.
The visitors seemed worried with their bowling line-up with Rahat Ali’s below-par performance in the first Test at Gabba.
“Imran has been performing everywhere. He has performed in Dubai and Abu Dhabi where the conditions are tough for fast bowlers. He has taken wickets with the new ball as well as the old ball. We believe he is good enough to play international cricket that’s why he is in the team,” Misbah said on Imran.
Earlier, Arthur believed Imran Khan does not have enough pace to unnerve batters and Sohail Khan looks letahrgic in his later bowling spells.
The 29-year-old Peshawar-born Imran played only Test outside Asia which was against New Zealand at Hamilton where he bagged 6 wickets for conceding 108 runs.
“It’s a fact that his pace is little on the downside if you compare with the others but at the same time if you are bowling at 135kmph and putting the ball in right areas and moving the ball around then you could be effective. He has been unable to make into the side because others are bowling well or you could say it’s also due to the combination of the team,” Misbah added.
After playing 8 Tests, Imran Khan picked 26 wickets at an average of 26.53.
On the other side, the 32-year-old Sohail Khan, who has the ability to reverse the new ball, has claimed 24 wickets in his 8 Test at an average of 41.63
“Sohail is working hard and he is the guy who gave us five-fors in the previous matches and that’s what we look for when he plays. He bowls new ball very well and if he gets you two or three wickets with the new ball it is always helpful for you,” Misbah said on Sohail.
Sohail has been struggling particularly in the later spells of the matches and Pakistan’s Playing XI could become anyone’s guess.
“He is also good with the reverse swing. Obviously, he knows that he needs to be good in the later spells because you have to bowl at least 20 overs a day so he is working hard. We are hoping that he will be okay,” Misbah added.
As batting remain a long-time misery for Pakistan, Misbah is also hopeful to shed the tag of worst bowling average of 45.75 in Australia since past two decades which is their personal worst after producing the best crop of the fast bowlers at home.
“It’s not just a challenge for the batsmen. It’s a challenge for the bowlers as well. The conditions are totally different here especially for the Asian teams. You need to be very precise with your lines and lengths in Australia because of the true bounce and pace. That’s important for us as a bowling unit,” Misbah concluded.
Australia XI: Steve Smith (C), David Warner, Matthew Renshaw, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Nic Maddinson, Matthew Wade (WK), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird, Nathan Lyon.
Pakistan Squad: Misbah-Ul-Haq (C), Sami Aslam, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed (WK), Yasir Shah, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Rahat Ali, Imran Khan, Sohail Khan.