When the Pakistan cricket team takes the field for the first Test match against Australia in Dubai on Wednesday, they will perhaps be facing their stiffest challenge since the gruelling series in South Africa early last year.

The Aussies, despite a few injuries in their ranks during the ODI series played early this month, whitewashed Pakistan who themselves were a beleaguered lot due to the absence of ace spinner Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan and Junaid Khan.

In the two-match Test series that commences tomorrow, however, the Australians will be pretty much at full strength with their skipper Michael Clarke and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh raring to do well in their comeback game. However, the other all-rounder Shane Watson has been ruled out of the series with a calf injury.

Pakistan, on the other hand, continues to be hampered by the key loss of Ajmal and Junaid, both of whom bear strong credentials as match-winners for their country. But having said that, I feel Pakistan can take a lot of heart from the impressive victory in the four-day game in Sharjah on Saturday where no less than three young Pakistan players slammed centuries off an Aussie bowling attack that comprised Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon.

It was great to see Pakistan ‘A’ skipper Asad Shafiq leading from the front with a flawless hundred when his team was on the ropes. He handled the tough opposition with calm and grace and must have gained tremendously in confidence ahead of the Test series which augurs well for Pakistan.

In the second outing, the talented pair of Haris Sohail and Babar Azam kept the Aussies at bay and were instrumental in their team’s fine win which gave Pakistani fans something to rejoice on the eve of the Tests.

However, I have been associated with this game long enough to know that the Test series will be a different ball game altogether. The Aussies are bound to come hard at Mibah-ul-Haq and his men and it will surely be a test of nerves for the Pakistan players.

Our selectors, headed by the experienced Moin Khan, have named a balanced outfit for the series. It is studded with batsmen which is only natural following the ordinary batting show by the home side in the ODIs.

Amongst the four openers selected for the Tests, the experienced Hafeez and dashing Ahmed Shehzad are likely to get the nod at Dubai. Firstly, they are slightly more in the groove compared to Shan Masood and Taufiq Umar who have not played international cricket for a while now.

And secondly, they have added advantages to their game which give them clear edge over the other two. Hafeez, being a front-ranking all-rounder, is likely to share the bowling burden in Ajmal’s absence while Shehzad is a brilliant close-in fielder who can cut off crucial runs with his agility.

The middle-order looks good too with the return of seasoned campaigner Younis Khan who brings a lot of stability in the team. He has scored centuries all around the cricketing globe, a number of them in crisis times, and I am sure he will measure up to the occasion this time as well.

I also have a gut feeling that Younis’ presence may well inspire Misbah to overcome his bad patch and if that happens, the Aussies will have a definite fight on their hands.

For the other two spots in the middle-order, I will certainly go for Azhar Ali and Asad since both are technically sound players with the ability to force the pace as and when required.

The welcome form of wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed, has indeed, been a most gratifying factor and real boost for the team. He was a revelation as a makeshift opener in the ODIs, thus carrying on with the good work from the tour of Sri Lanka where he was way out the highest scorer in Tests.

The inexperienced bowling could be a slight chink in Pakistan armour, I feel, although both Zulfiqar Babar and Mohammad Talha looked the part in the four-day game and, if on song, can create ample problems for the Australian batsmen.

Yasir Shah, who is likely to get Test cap in Dubai, has been knocking at the doors of international cricket for quite a while now and boasts a fair variety in his bowling which can prove to be a surprise packet for the tourists. The same goes for upcoming pacer Imran Khan who is also in line for debut if Rahat Ali doesn’t pip him at the last minute in the final eleven.

I saw a bit of young Imran when he bowled his heart out for Peshawar Panthers at the National Stadium, Karachi during the recently held National T20 Cup. He has loads of talent indeed with the ability to swing the ball both ways. Whether he graduates successfully to international cricket remains to be seen but he is a hope for the future, no two ways about it.

Lastly, I would like to add that ex-chairman Najam Sethi’s efforts to put Pakistan up there in the league with the ‘Big Three’ is already paying dividends while the recent 10-day tour of incumbent chairman Shaharyar Khan to the Asian countries is likely to pave the way for the resumption of international cricket in Pakistan after five long years.

These are great signs for Pakistan and I pray and hope that our cricket team, which is in a rebuilding process of sorts, stands up to the mighty Australians to make the series a true contest.

The writer is a former Test cricketer and chief selector

Published in Dawn, October 21st , 2014