Pakistan Take on Injured Australian in First Twenty20

Edgbaston: Pakistan and Australia will spend the next month battling in the neutral territory of England and this Twenty20 at Edgbaston gives the teams their first glimpse at the opposition.

The two T20 games might act as an opportunity for both teams to assess each others’ strengths and weaknesses, considering the 2 Tests lined up for them in a short while.

Pakistan are coming to England after suffering an early exit from the Asia Cup. Despite their ouster from the tournament, the Afridi-led outfit came up with some spirited performances, giving the team immense confidence.

Afridi's return to form with two brilliant centuries is a morale booster for the sub-continent side while youngster Umar Akmal's impressive performances in the practice games in England along with useful contributions from the rest of the batters like Salman Butt, Shahzaib Hasan and Shoaib Malik gives Pakistan the ideal opportunity to gain an upper-hand against the Aussies.

Shoaib Akthar's return to the T20 scheme of things adds more fire power to the pace department which already has the likes of Mohammad Aamer and Umar Gul.

To add to that, presence of spinners such as Ajmal, Malik and Afridi further strengthens the bowling section which has always been Pakistan's main muscle.

The last time the teams met, it was a high-class encounter that brought nearly 400 runs and one of the most memorable finishes in the format's short history, as Michael Hussey drove Australia into the World Twenty20 final. They needed 18 from the last over; Hussey did it with a ball to spare. There's far less to play for this time, but the result is no doubt burned into the memories of the Pakistan players. Here's their right of reply.

Team news

Pakistan's batting order is something of a mystery, but expect Shahzaib Hasan to open up with Salman Butt. Umar Gul should make his return from a shoulder injury that has kept him out of international action since Pakistan played England in Dubai in February.

Squad from Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal(w), Shahid Afridi(c), Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Shahzaib Hasan, Mohammad Aamer, Abdur Rehman, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Fawad Alam, Wahab Riaz.

Australia The loss of Ryan Harris to a knee injury leaves Australia with 13 fit men in their squad, although that's perhaps not the best way to describe the captain Michael Clarke. He missed the final ODI against England on Saturday with a sore back and although he will probably play on Monday.

Squad from David Warner, Shane Watson, Tim Paine(w), Michael Clarke(c), Cameron White, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Dirk Nannes, Shaun Tait, Ryan Harris, James Hopes, Steve O'Keefe.

Pitch and conditions
The Edgbaston pitch might offer some turn, which would theoretically favour Pakistan, but there have been some good totals produced in the domestic Twenty20 there this year. If it's humid - which is a distinct possibility - the ball could swing, which would make Tait, Nannes, Akhtar and Gul very dangerous.

Stats & trivia

• Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi are the two leading wicket takers in Twenty20 internationals; Australia's first entry on the worldwide list is Mitchell Johnson at number eight
• Australia's top two run scorers in Twenty20s are David Warner and David Hussey, neither of whom currently play for their country in any other format
• The teams have met in five Twenty20s; Pakistan won the first two and Australia have won the past three.

Match facts
Monday, July, 5 2010
Start time 17:00 local (16:00 GMT), 22:00 Pak