*Official* Pakistan vs Australia in the UAE 2018

[TheJediBrah]

The batting is either terrible in these conditions or unproven in them. I think Lyon and Holland can create enough chances but the problem will be not having scores to bowl to. Would love to see Renshaw have a big series, assuming he's ok to play the first test. Any word on him yet? I think Finch will do decently. Hope, rather than expect Khawaja to do likewise, but even though he's got fit, he's still pretty useless vs spin. The Marsh brothers will stink it up for the most part and Head hasn't played before.

Is the likely line up:

Renners (if fit)
Arun
Ussie
SOS
MMarsh
Head

That'll be it with Labiashagme coming in for Renshaw if necessary

 

[GotSpin]

I reckon MMarsh will score runs here

 

[TheJediBrah]

If they're roads he will for sure. He's really turned the corner as a road-handling-batsman over the last year.

 

[Borges]

Predictions? I'm thinking 1-0 in favor of Australia. I have very little confidence in Pak right now.

Yeah, 1-0 or perhaps 2-0 in favour of Australia. Pakistan don't seem to have the batting to grind out a draw, even on these benign tracks.

 

[stephen]

Everyone seems to be forgetting that Pakistan are going to have actual spinners and Australia don't have TPC. There's going to be an almighty collapse by Australia at some point. 1-1 draw.

 

[morgieb]

I still see Pakistan killing it. Their batting isn't as good as 2014 but it still looks good enough for a weakened Aussie bowling attack, and our batting is worrying TSTL.

 

[morgieb]

You'll do OK as long as you don't go trying to take wickets every ball, or score a hundred runs every over.

Game moves slowly over there, and Pakistan don't really have the firepower to blow anyone away these days either. SL got it pretty much spot on when they played in the UAE last year.

I have no faith in us not doing either of those things.

 

[brockley]

Lets hear some Pakistani fans on their form?
Altho they lost some one dayers,smashed Zimbabwe and had a poor Asia Cup,
They did win in England and did ok there,beat Ireland too.

This Aussie lot bt India A,nearly bt Pakistan A,Maddening loss in S Africa.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Australia's improvement in the subcontinent in the last couple of tours has more to do with Lyon figuring out how to bowl here than the batsmen necessarily being much better than before. Unless Lyon reverts back to 2014 Lyon, I think Australia have a great chance. Pak's batting lineup post Younis-Misbah has looked very flaky.

 

[social]

Shame that Lynn has been so injury prone as he is so much better than some of the other options

 

[harsh.ag]

Didn't we used to have more Pakistani posters on here?

 

[Dan]

If they're roads he will for sure. He's really turned the corner as a road-handling-batsman over the last year.

He's always been ok-ish in Asia tbf.

 

[Burgey]

Australia's improvement in the subcontinent in the last couple of tours has more to do with Lyon figuring out how to bowl here than the batsmen necessarily being much better than before. Unless Lyon reverts back to 2014 Lyon, I think Australia have a great chance. Pak's batting lineup post Younis-Misbah has looked very flaky.

I’d have thought Steve Smith impersonating Bradman might have had something to do with it as well.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I’d have thought Steve Smith impersonating Bradman might have had something to do with it as well.

Sure, but he's still one guy at the end of the day. It was a one man show in India. The willingness of the lineup as a whole to attempt to bat time and try and score ugly runs was an improvement, but in terms of actual output, they were still pretty crap and not much better than most of the other Australian lineups that toured the SC in the previous few years. The difference between the Lyon that toured India and UAE in 2013/2014 and current version in night and day. You don't succeed in the subcontinent if the lead spinner is bowling rubbish.

 

[Gnske]

This series will be the ultimate test for how much Lyon's improved imo. UAE pitches are so unforgiving of garbage bowling and those Indian pitches were quite juicy.

Johnson's first innings in the first test of the 2014 series was one of the underrated highlights of his renaissance, really proved how switched on he was during those few months.

 

[Prince EWS]

He's always been ok-ish in Asia tbf.

He was always just more or less the same quality in Asia as Australia IMO. That meant he wasn't carrying his weight in Australia but was only roughly as bad as everyone else in Asia. Hopefully his recent improvement at home/on roads can carry over here as well.

 

[morgieb]

He was always just more or less the same quality in Asia as Australia IMO. That meant he wasn't carrying his weight in Australia but was only roughly as bad as everyone else in Asia. Hopefully his recent improvement at home/on roads can carry over here as well.

It's also an issue of in Australia he was either coming out when it was 5/50 or 5/500. The latter certainly wasn't happening in Asia.

 

[Gnske]

Weren't we somewhat impressed with how he did during that disaster of a Sri Lanka series? Didn't look that hopeless.

 

[Burgey]

How about the Honey Badger ditching Sophie though?

I think he was in love with Brooke.

 

[Dan]

He was always just more or less the same quality in Asia as Australia IMO. That meant he wasn't carrying his weight in Australia but was only roughly as bad as everyone else in Asia. Hopefully his recent improvement at home/on roads can carry over here as well.

Haha yeah, this is exactly what I was thinking when I posted that. I was going to follow this up by saying he averages about 27, which I think was about the same as at home prior to the Ashes (if not better). Compared to some of the guys who seem to run 60/12 Aus/Asia splits, I'm claiming that as ok-ish.