Australia and Pakistan get their three match Test series underway with a day-night Test match in Brisbane on Thursday. Both sides will be looking to get off to a winning start not just to give them control in the series but also to protect and boost their ranking in the ICC standings.
Another reason for both to look to get off to a winning start is to put disappointing recent series defeats behind them so there is plenty going on heading into this first match.
Australia
In fairness to Australia they did get some sort of solace from their last Test against South Africa even though plenty of damage had been done before that. The five match losing streak they were on heading into that Adelaide Test accounted for the likes of Mitchell Marsh, Adam Voges and Peter Nevill.
In their place is a young looking batting line up. Their talent is clear for all to see but we might see if they actually belong at this level in this series when the competitive element is in place. One area we do know Australia will compete in is with the ball especially on this track which is one of their favourites historically.
Pakistan
This will be the first time Pakistan have played a day-night Test match overseas but they did play one against the West Indies earlier in the year in the Emirates so they have at least played with the pink ball before. They were dominant in that match for long spells and I would expect their bowlers to be itching to get going here.
If Pakistan are to get anything out of this series they need to bat a whole lot better than they did in the New Zealand series which recently concluded. In that series they got stuck between attack and defence but runs come more naturally in Australia if their batsmen have the technique to stay at the crease.
Team News
Australia are set to name the same 11 that won at Adelaide. That was a day-night Test too so they will know all about the pink ball and what it will and won’t do.
Pakistan will welcome Misbah ul Haq and Yasir Shah back into the side after they missed the second Test in New Zealand. The third seamer hasn’t been confirmed yet but Rahat Ali looks to be leading the race.
Brisbane Cricket Ground
This is historically an Australian fortress. There have been 58 previous Test matches here and Australia have played in all of them. They have won 36 times and lost just eight with 13 draws and a tie. Pakistan have played here four times and are still looking for their first win.
The wicket here is usually good to bat on but there is always something in it for the bowlers. That is likely to be exacerbated by the day-night element to the match so the battle between bat and ball should be captivating.
Betting
I’m not one for getting involved in matches between two sides with so many question marks over them so I’m not going mad to begin this series. I never think this is a ground to go mad with bets on anyway because the ball does a bit and the day-night element only further makes that the case but there is one I like.
Rahat Ali took five wickets in the warm up match and he could be the danger bowler for Pakistan in this match with his fuller length allowing the ball to swing a little more. He took advantage of swinging conditions in New Zealand recently and with Australia’s batsmen showing throughout the last 18 months that they struggle against a swinging ball I like the idea of Ali taking over 1.5 first innings wickets especially with the inexperience in the Australian line up.
Tips
Back R.Ali Over 1.5 1st Inns Wickets for a 4/10 stake at 1.73 with Ladbrokes
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