With Australia’s preparations for their historic, three-Test series in Pakistan well-underway, the coaching staff and selectors have some difficult calls to make, particularly in regard to the bowling unit.
With the first Test beginning this Friday afternoon in Rawalpindi, selectors will have their hands full deciding what iteration of bowlers will be best suited for subcontinental pitches, which historically favour spin.
Off-spinner Nathan Lyon has been a mainstay in the Australian bowling attack since his debut in 2011, having played 105 in Tests and taken 415 wickets. The 34-year-old is, however, no guarantee to be selected for the opening clash of the series with Ashton Agar and Mitchell Swepson both also in the squad.
Rawalpindi, however, has statistically favoured pace bowlers as opposed to spinners, whereas Karachi and Lahore – the hosts of the second and third Test respectively – are more spin-friendly. As a result, Australia are expected to run with three quicks and a spinner for the opening Test, meaning that two of Lyon, Agar, and Swepson will be omitted.
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Agar is seen as the most likely to usurp Lyon, thanks to his added batting depth and left-arm finger-spin that tends to find success against right-handers on the subcontinent. There is a possibility that Australia include a pair of spinners for the second and third Tests.
Meanwhile, a quartet of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland will need to be cut down to three or even two at different stages of the series. Given each of the four have bowled well in their most recent international outings, a selection headache may well be brewing.
Australia enter their first Test in Pakistan in close to 25 years as slight outsiders, despite their most recent series being a 4-0 drubbing of England in The Ashes. The subcontinent has not been a happy hunting ground for the Australians in recent years. Led by stars Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan are currently the sixth-ranked Test side in the world and will be eager to claim the major scalp of Australia in what will undoubtedly be hostile conditions.
