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With at least one fast bowling position up for grabs,
Pakistan is using their four-day encounter in Canberra to evaluate the makeup
of the team they may bring into the first Test next week. However, the main
decisions will still be made in light of the conditions at Optus Stadium in
Perth.
In addition to giving their less experienced bowlers a
taste of Australian conditions, albeit on a pitch that will probably not
resemble the Test surface, the visitors have taken advantage of the match
against the Prime Minister’s XI to examine the role of the all-rounders and how
they balance the lineup.
Legspinner Abrar Ahmed is almost set to start, along
with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali. However, there may be some disagreement
over who would be the third frontline fast, as Faheem Ashraf is most likely to
start at No. 7.
Left-handed On a placid surface, Mir Hamza
occasionally created anxiety by taking the wicket of Cameron Bancroft, the top
order of the PM XI, while Khurram Shahzad, who is yet to receive a cap, bowled
neatly.
“We’ll only be able to decide when we get closer
to the game, see the pitch, see the conditions, see where the guys are at with
their fitness and their loads,” captain Shan Masood said on how the Test
attack could shape up. “You have to look at the opposition as well,
match-ups, or type of bowling, is huge in cricket now.
“Obviously Shaheen and Hasan are senior bowlers,
they are probably penciled in, but you want to look at everyone and give them a
fair run before you make that ultimate decision. The permutations on the
structure if the side matters as well – do we go with an allrounder, what will
the role of the spinner be? So, there are a lot of things we are looking at and
we are very glad we are playing a fixture like this.”