Pakistan face big task to win in Australia

Brisbane: Australia plan to inflict a psychological blow on vulnerable Pakistan in Thursday's day-night first Test in Brisbane to set up their three-match series.

The left-armer Mitchell Starc said Australia, who lost Test series against Sri Lanka and South Africa recently, sense an opportunity to strike with Pakistan struggling for form away from home.

The visitors have never won in 11 series in Australia, dropping their last three series here 3-0 and losing their previous nine Tests Down Under since 1999.

Their recent form in New Zealand on the way to Brisbane does not engender confidence that things will be any different.

There is added spice to the series with South African Mickey Arthur now in charge of Pakistan three years after he was sacked as Australia coach and replaced by Darren Lehmann.

Arthur, who still lives in Perth, faces the huge challenge of not only ending Pakistan's drought in Australia but becoming the first team from the sub-continent to win a Test series here.

He has past form when it comes to plotting series upsets in Australia.

In 2008-09 he coached South Africa to a 2-1 victory -- the first time any touring team had won a campaign in Australia since the mighty West Indies 16 years earlier.

Australia are set to take an unchanged team into the Gabba Test following their victory, also with the pink ball, over South Africa in Adelaide.

Pakistan's big hopes rest with their pace attack led by Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Amir, who is back playing Test cricket after a five-year ban following a spot-fixing controversy in 2010.

Leg-spinner Yasir Shah, who has taken 116 wickets in 20 Tests, injured his back in a pre-Test warm-up game and faces a fitness Test.

The clash will be Australia's third pink-ball Test, but the first under the Brisbane lights, having beaten New Zealand and South Africa in Adelaide. Pakistan downed the West Indies in their only day-night Test in Dubai in October.

Pakistan briefly held the top Test ranking this year but come into the match in fourth, while Australia are third behind top-ranked India.

Misbah-ul-Haq and Yasir Shah were both missing from Pakistan's previous Test XI against New Zealand, but both are expected to resume their customary positions in Brisbane.

Teams from

Australia: David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (capt), Peter Handscomb, Nic Maddinson, Matthew Wade (wk), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird, Chadd Sayers.

Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Azhar Ali, Sami Aslam, Sharjeel Khan, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Mohammad Rizwan, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Sohail Khan, Imran Khan.

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan have never won in four Brisbane Tests, losing three times and drawing once.
• Pakistan drew series in Australia in 1976-77 and 1978-79 but have lost every series since - seven in all
• David Warner needs 95 runs for 5000 in Tests; Misbah-ul-Haq needs 125 for 5000-run.
• Josh Hazlewood needs six wickets to reach 100 in Tests.

Match facts
15-19 December (day/night)
Start time 1300 local (0300 GMT)