After being humiliated and

white-washed by the Aussies in

the ODI series, the Pakistanis

surprised everybody by bouncing

back handsomely and winning

the first Test emphatically by 221

runs in Dubai.

Suddenly,

the Australians have started

to feel the heat in the desert.

The second and final Test of

the series starts tomorrow in

Abu Dhabi and the tourists

are keen on restoring their

pride. The Australians are

known for their tenacity and

courage and the Pakistanis

will be well aware of a

possible backlash coming

their way.

Sure a crushing loss in the previous

start will be a hard pill to swallow

for the Aussies, but given their

recent track record in the Tests, it

would be a folly to bet again

Michael Clarke’s men.

Meanwhile, Pakistan will

be desperate to end their

twenty year rut of not

winning a Test series

against the Aussies. It was

way back in 1994, when

Pakistan merely managed

to beat the Aussies in a

Test series.

Given so much at stake, the Abu

Dhabi Test will be an intriguing

one. And, if both teams can

bring their best game to the

field, then we could have a

tremendous end to the Test

series. Still it is anybody’s ball

game.

Pitch &

Conditions

:

The Australians couldn’t adapt well to the

conditions in Dubai. Besides the heat, the pitch

was playing low and slow. And, the Pakistani

spin pair of Zulfiqar Babar and Yasir Shah

spun a web around the Aussie batsmen. The

conditions in Abu Dhabi too will be similar.

Expect variable bounce and the spinners could

once again call the shots. That said, the

batsmen can get decent runs in the first two

days and it is highly unlikely that the captain

winning the toss might be tempted to bowl

first.

Given the success in Dubai, the

Pakistanis are unlikely to make any

changes to their playing eleven. That

said, they might be tempted to give their

veteran opener Tuafeeq Umar a go for

the out of sorts Mohammad Hafeez.

On the other hand, the visitors too are

unlikely to make any wholesale changes

to their squad. A few questions have

been raised about Alex Doolan’s place in

the team, but he might just keep his place

ahead of Phil Hughes. Spinner O’Keefe

might have to sit out for a seamer. But

that is likely to be a delayed decision

which might be taken early morning

tomorrow.

Key

Players:

Mitchell Johnson

His fiery and hostile spell with the new cherry can

destroy the Pakistanis in a jiffy. If there is some moisture

in the wicket, this champion bowler will exploit it. A must

in all fantasy cricket teams.

Azhar Ali

He has got a compact technique to survive against an Aussie

pace onslaught. His role with the bat at the top will be vital

for Pakistan. A value for money pick in fantasy cricket

leagues.