On Monday, Pakistan men’s cricket team director Muhammad Hafeez said the team’s goal in Australia is to beat the locals, not play. The green shirts are preparing for a tough contest against the World Test champions in three Tests this week.
In Perth on December 14, Australia and Pakistan will play their first Test match. The visitors have struggled in Australia, losing their last 14 Test matches, including five landslide wins.
Australian skipper Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Scott Boland form a world-class pace battery. Test batsmen from Pakistan have never done well on Australia’s effervescent pitches.
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Muhammad Hafeez told reporters at the WACA stadium, “Everyone is excited to take on the challenge; performing in Australia would be great for them.” “We are not here to compete; we are here as a Pakistani team to beat Australia.”
The former Pakistan cricketer said Shan Masood’s squad did well in the drill.
“The majority of the boxes in our training have been checked,” he said. “Every team member wants to excel and show off their skills. The team is ready to play Australia, but Abrar Ahmed is injured.
Ahmed’s leg injury kept him out of last week’s Perth Test. Pakistani spinner Sajid Khan will lead.
Hafeez complained about the trip arrangements for Pakistan’s four-day match against PM XI in Canberra last week, even suggesting they were tactical.
He said, “That was the slowest pitch an Australian visiting team had ever played on.” We weren’t expecting these arrangements; therefore, we were dissatisfied. Although it’s tactical, we’re ready. We won’t use it as an excuse because we want to be ready for the future.
Squads:
Mohammed Wasim Jr., Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, and Imam-ul-Haq represent Pakistan. Team captain, Khurram Shahzad.
The Australian team includes skipper Pat Cummins, Alex Carey, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Lance Morris, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, and Mitchell Starc.
The show’s schedule
- Perth, December 14–18, First Test
- Second Test: Melbourne, Dec. 26–30
- Sydney, January 3–6, Third Test
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