Pakistan Seek to End 20-year Australia Drought

Dubai: Pakistan hope to end a 20-year drought against Australia when they meet in the first of two Tests in Dubai from Wednesday, but they are hobbled by the absence of their premier spinner Saeed Ajmal.

Ajmal, who has been suspended due to an illegal bowling action, has single-handedly ruled the dry and slow tracks of Pakistan's neutral venues in the United Arab Emirates, especially at Dubai where he has 37 wickets in six Tests, three of which Pakistan won.

Pakistan have also lost frontline seamers Junaid Khan and Wahab Riaz - both through knee injuries - and have to rely on uncapped legspinner Yasir Shah and left-armer Zulfiqar Babar, both of whom are likely to play.

Captain Misbah-ul-Haq, under pressure to score runs after managing nought and 15 in the preceding 3-0 one-day series defeat, admitted Ajmal's absence is significant. Pakistan whose last Test series win over Australia was back in 1994.

The return of veteran batsman Younis Khan and Azhar Ali will boost Pakistan's fragile batting as they seek to remain unbeaten in a Test series in the UAE since 2009.

Australia will also look to include both spinners in Nathan Lyon and Steve O'Keefe despite their unimpressive record of losing five of the last six Tests (one draw) in which they played with two spinners. But they have dominated Pakistan, winning 13 out of the last 14 Tests against them.

Australia will hope skipper Michael Clarke, top Test run getter in 2013 with 1,093, anchors the batting after recovering from a hamstring injury sustained two months ago.

Australia will hope allrounder Mitchell Marsh, who has recovered from a hamstring injury, will be able to fill in for the more experienced Shane Watson who is out of the tour due to a calf injury.

Their pace attack will be led by Mitchell Johnson who bowled with venom in the two one-dayers he played - taking six wickets - and supported by Peter Siddle.

Teams from:

Pakistan: Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Shan Masood, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Talha, Rahat Ali, Imran Khan, Ehsan Adil, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Zulfiqar Babar and Yasir Shah.

Australia: Michael Clarke (captain), David Warner, Chris Rogers, Phillip Hughes, Alex Doolan, Steven Smith, Brad Haddin (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Mitchell Johnson, Steve O'Keefe, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, James Faulkner, Ben Hilfenhaus and Nathan Lyon.

Match facts
October 22-26, 2014
Start time 1000 local (0600 GMT)

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Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan - 3rd ODI 3rd ODI - South Africa v Pakistan - December 22, 12:00 GMT 4th Test - Australia v India - December 26-30, 23:30 GMT 3rd T20I - West Indies v Bangladesh at St Vincent Bangladesh won by 80 runs 2nd ODI - South Africa v Pakistan at Cape Town Pakistan won by 81 runs

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