Australia vs Pakistan 2019: 3 things to look forward to in the Test series

A young and inexperienced Pakistan side will take on Australia in their own backyard with the aim of winning their first ever Test series Down Under. Pakistan have tied one series but have never won in Australia thus far, with their last Test win coming at Sydney back in 1995.

Only a few current players, including Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq and skipper Azhar Ali, were part of the squad that toured last time around in 2016-17, when they were whitewashed 3-0.

The first Test is scheduled to be played at the Gabba in Brisbane from 21 November. The Gabba is a venue where Pakistan have never won a Test, while Australia are unbeaten there since 1988 - the best ever sequence by a Test-playing nation at a single venue.

The odds are heavily favored for the home side to win the series. But the famous tagline comes to mind when you talk of Pakistan cricket: “expect the unexpected”.

As the Australian Test summer gets started, here are the three things that we can look forward to in the series against Pakistan.

#1 Smith's battle against the Pakistan pace battery

Steven Smith

Steven “Run Machine” Smith will be playing his first Test on home soil since the sandpaper scandal, and would want to give the home fans something to cheer. He was at his imperious best in the Ashes series a few months ago, as no England bowler found a way to dismiss him early.

The duel between Smith and the young Pakistan pace bowlers could be very interesting and exciting. The visiting side have included the 16-year-old debutant Naseem Shah for the first Test at the Gabba, and going by what he dished out in the tour game, his battle with the No. 1 Test batsman on a lively surface could be mouth-watering.

#2 Babar Azam’s adaptability

Babar Azam

If Pakistan want to compete in the Test series, a lot will depend on their star batsman Babar Azam. There is no doubt that Azam is their best batsman, with the technique and temperament to score in Australia.

He has shown good form on this tour so far, both in the recently completed T20 series as well as the tour game where he scored a classy hundred. In a very inexperienced batting lineup, Azam’s role becomes even more crucial for the team’s fortunes.

He will be tested by a world-class Australian bowling attack and on surfaces that would challenge any batsman - at least on the first couple of days, when the wicket is fresh.

It would be interesting to see how Australia respond if Azam gets going, because he is a free-stroking player and would be difficult to contain.

All in all, the tussle between Pakistan’s best batsman against the quality Aussie bowling will be one to watch out for in the two-Test series.

#3 David Warner’s Test form

David Warner

Australia’s No. 1 opener David Warner had a horror time in England during the Ashes series, as Stuart Broad had the full measure of the left-hander. Warner could manage only one half-century in 10 innings despite coming in on the back of a very good World Cup outing.

Warner clearly struggled to get going in England, which even led to talks that he is not good enough technically to play the moving ball in Tests - especially at the start of his innings.

But Warner loves playing at home, and he possesses a great record on Australian pitches. The left-hander likes the bounce that the tracks offer as he is comfortable playing off the backfoot.

Will he take the aggressive route to upset their lines and lengths, or take time at the start against the new ball to cash in later? It will be interesting to see the way he tackles the young and inexperienced Pakistani pace attack.