da spicy bet： Touring teams place little importance on warm-up games but even Pakistan must worry after a start kindly described as disastrous
da bet7： Peter English14-Dec-2004
Making a splash: Shoaib Akhtar cools off in preparation for the first Test© Getty Images
Touring teams place little importance on warm-up games, but even Pakistan must worry after a start which can at best be described as disastrous. Apart from winning the hit-and-giggle one-day game at Lilac Hill, the tourists were beaten by 10 wickets by Western Australia and spectacularly failed to chase 94 against the state’s Second XI.In current times two weeks acclimatising in Perth is the equivalent of a team bonding for six weeks on a boat to England. Pakistan have shown no signs of solidarity and Bob Woolmer, the coach, admitted that they didn’t look capable of beating anyone in the tour matches. On the surface a 3-0 result seems as certain as the Fremantle Doctor blowing after tea and anodyne commentary whenever there’s a shot of the Gloucester Park trots.A three-day first Test, which starts at the WACA tomorrow, is a popular theory backed by Kim Hughes, the former Australia captain, and not much is expected to spoil local festivities during the Boxing Day and New Year Tests. But Pakistan, who drew the home series against Sri Lanka last month, are the sleepy men of world cricket, capable of nodding off in an instant or leaping into action at the slightest jolt.Predictions of Inzamam-ul-Haq’s team are incredibly difficult because even he doesn’t really know what desperate or delightful realms are in reach. At least he understands the way his side works, something the rest of the world envies. Adam Gilchrist and Dennis Lillee have warned Australia to beware, and Woolmer expects the players, inexperienced in Perth’s fast conditions, to shed the sheep’s clothing tomorrow. They certainly have the bowling attack to worry Australia’s batsmen.With Brett Lee destined to watch the shoot-out from the dressing-room, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami will hold the pace stage in exchanges that could be the highlight of the series. Whether the bowlers or batsmen finish ahead, someone will breathe fire. Shoaib still talks a better game than he delivers – he has played 33 Tests in seven years – and Sami’s average of 45 in 16 matches is nothing to make batsmen shake. Both players’ ability to break shoes or fingers creates plenty of shivers, and the battle with Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer, who wakes up to dream duels with Shoaib, will do much to settle the series.
Matthew Hayden can expect more chin music on a fast and bouncy WACA wicket© Getty Images
Australia’s confidence is high after the two-Test whitewash of New Zealand and they will go in with an unchanged pace attack for the ninth match in a row. Michael Kasprowicz will again support Glenn McGrath, who worries about the impact of Inzaman and Yousuf Youhana, and Jason Gillespie. Ponting considered playing five bowlers to shoehorn Lee into the side, but dropping a batsman, probably Darren Lehmann, was considered too risky for an opening Test.Pakistan were beaten 3-0 as part of Australia’s 16-match winning streak when they last toured here in 1999-2000. The second Test, which Australia won through centuries to Justin Langer and Adam Gilchrist – in his second Test – as they successfully chased 369, was a classic. The series had lost its buzz by the final Test at Perth, where Australia won by an innings and 20 runs. Ponting, Langer and Ijaz Ahmed made centuries and McGrath and Kasprowicz finished with seven wickets.It is hard to believe Australia will let Pakistan beat them for the first time since 1995-96 at the SCG. They haven’t lost a series at home since West Indies in 1992-93, and Pakistan should find the necessary consistent brilliance too difficult to attain.Australia (probable) 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Justin Langer, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Darren Lehmann, 6 Michael Clarke, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Shane Warne, 9 Jason Gillespie, 10 Michael Kasprowicz, 11 Glenn McGrath.Pakistan (probable) 1 Yasir Hameed, 2 Salman Butt, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Yousuf Youhana, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Kamran Akmal (wk), 9 Shoaib Akhtar, 10 Danish Kaneria, 11 Mohammad Sami.
