Pakistan ready for Australia challenge as MCG beckons

Batsman Shafiq confident tourists can get one over on Australia in Boxing Day Test

KARACHI: Pakistan are looking to build on the momentum they gathered in the final innings of the first Test against Australia when they face the hosts in the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Thursday.

Steve Smith’s side won the opening Test by 39 runs and currently lead the series 1-0. However, that scoreline could have ended in Pakistan’s favour had the tourists hung on for longer.

Yet despite the defeat, Pakistan have taken a lot of positives from their pink-ball Test with first-Test hero Asad Shafiq in buoyant mood ahead of the Boxing Day encounter.

“It’s a big Test match, the Boxing Day Test,” the middle-order batsman told a press conference in Melbourne yesterday. “We all grew up watching this Test match in Pakistan. And we know the value of it. We are hopeful and positive especially after the first Test where the whole team performed well.”

He further added, “We are playing positive and good cricket [at the moment]. Nobody was expecting that we would come back like this [in the first Test]. We all showed character and courage. These kinds of matches always give you confidence as a team and as a player. Especially, if the first match of the series is like this, that always helps [everyone] in the upcoming games.”

Moreover, Shafiq also talked about the experience of playing at the MCG and said it was an ‘honour’ to play at such a ‘historic’ venue.

“I have never played in front of such a massive crowd,” he said. “MCG has a history and it is an honour for me to play here. It will be exciting for those who are playing here for the first time. We are all united after the way we played in the first Test. We are hopeful of getting good results in the series.”

Australia more vulnerable than ever: Abbas

Apart from their gallant effort in Brisbane, Pakistan can also take heart from their relatively better record in Melbourne and Sydney, the venues for the second and third Tests.

In 33 Tests that Pakistan have played in Australia since they first toured the country in 1964, they have won only four Tests. Two of these wins have come in Melbourne, while the other two have come at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Legendary batsman Zaheer Abbas said Pakistan have a golden chance to overturn their winless record in a Test series in Australia, despite a 1-0 deficit in the series.

“Pakistan have a very good chance to seal the series by winning the next two matches,” the “Asian Bradman” told The Express Tribune. “The momentum is with Pakistan after the way they fought back in the first match. If they continue to play positive cricket they can clinch first series victory in Australia.”

He further added: “I have seen many Australian teams and this outfit is the weakest of them all which gives Pakistan an ideal opportunity to win the series. The conditions in Melbourne and Sydney will also suit the hosts.”