Mitchell Swepson makes his Test debut for Australia on a surface expected to turn
Australia won the toss and decided to bat against Pakistan
Australia won the toss and elected to bat in the second Test against Pakistan on a Karachi pitch expected to offer some assistance for the bowlers after a dreary series opener ended in a stale draw.
The historic series, the first between the teams in Pakistan since 1998, started with an anti-climax due to a lifeless Rawalpindi pitch rated by the ICC as below average. But hopes are high for a much better balance between bat and ball with the pitch in Karachi tipped to spin and reverse swing also could be a factor.
As revealed by skipper Pat Cummins on Friday, legspinner Mitchell Swepson will finally make his Test debut after a long wait having been around Australia’s squad since 2017. The 28-year-old becomes the first specialist legspinner capped by an Australian men’s Test team since Bryce McGain played a solitary match against South Africa in 2009. During his long apprenticeship, Swepson received tutelage from the great Shane Warne, whose shock passing last week overshadowed the first Test.
Swepson replaced quick Josh Hazlewood after Australia contentiously went into the series opener with their usual balance of three quicks alongside frontline spinner Nathan Lyon. Left-arm quick Mitchell Starc, who like Hazlewood was wicketless in Rawalpindi, has been preferred likely due to his prowess with reverse swing.
Fresh off a moral victory, Pakistan have been strengthened by the inclusion of quick Hasan Ali, who returns from an abductor strain, and pace-bowling allrounder Faheem Ashraf who was freed to play after returning a negative Covid-19 test. Fiery quick Naseem Shah, who was involved in several verbal clashes with Australian batters, and spin allrounder Iftikhar Ahmed have been dropped.
After cool conditions in Rawalpindi, offering much needed respite for flagging bowlers, hot and humid weather has been forecast in Karachi throughout the match.
Pakistan have a formidable record at the National Stadium in Karachi having lost just twice from 43 Tests, while Australia are winless from eight attempts, including a famous one-wicket defeat in the first Test in 1994.
Pakistan 1 Abdullah Shafique, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Babar Azam (capt), 5 Fawad Alam, 6 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 7 Faheem Ashraf, 8 Nauman Ali, 9 Sajid Khan, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Shaheen Shah Afridi
Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Usman Khawaja, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Travis Head, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Mitchell Swepson, 11 Nathan Lyon
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth