da dobrowin： Attention turns to personal battles for the third Test between Australia and Pakistan in Hobart
The Preview by Osman Samiuddin in Hobart13-Jan-2010Match FactsThursday, January 14
Start time 1030am (2330 GMT)The Kamran Akmal affair drags on, with the wicketkeeper staying in the limelight after his awful performance in Sydney•Getty Images
The Big PictureIt is in dead rubbers that the basis of cricket as an individual sportbecomes clearest. But for the grace of Pakistan everyone would’ve come toHobart much happier; the series is gone and with it the prospect of a goodend to summer. Now attention turns to personal battles of form and there is enough to this Test to keep it sprightly.To Pakistan first and who would have thought dropping a wicketkeeper whodropped four chances in the last Test – and it wasn’t a one-off – would beso difficult? Not least of the confusion surrounding l’affaire de Kamran,as it will now be remembered, has come from the Pakistan camp itself; justas coach Intikhab Alam was definitively ruling him out on Tuesday, Kamran Akmal,definitively, was ruling himself in to an Australian newspaper.He was finally ruled out as Pakistan, surprisingly, announced their playing XI a day before the Test. But the matter has overshadowed a number of other issues, namely thecontinuing failures of Faisal Iqbal and Misbah-ul-Haq in the middle order.Changes have been made and Shoaib Malik and Khurram Manzoor are back in but sending back Fawad Alam, who represents a future – in whatever form and shape – was a poor choice. Mohammad Aamer is back as well to give Pakistan, finally, it’s first-choice attack andthat is something that just hasn’t happened in recent years. In all, there will be enough new faces from Sydney so that Pakistan are likely to have a fresh, energetic feel to them. They will be keen to prevent a 12th successive loss and a fourth successivewhitewash against this particular opponent.Australia are far more settled. Such messes they don’t oftenfind themselves in and when they do, they are generally quieter and handleit with greater grace and coherence. Still, there are little nigglingthings that don’t quite sit right about their line-up just yet.A lack of runs from their middle order is chief among them. Ricky Ponting,Michael Clarke and Marcus North have two fifties each from six Tests thissummer and the first two, at least, should be doing much more than that.Neither has looked particularly out of form, but that in itself can be agreater worry than being out of touch, as North appears to be. Somewickets for Peter Siddle would go down nicely as well, though his presencehas never been a non-threatening one.In the bigger picture this Test may not matter much, but within it therewill be enough players for whom it matters a great deal and that makes forcompelling viewing.Form guideAustralia WWWDW
Pakistan LLDWL
Watch out for…Shane Watson was the Test find of the year for Australia in 2009and he started the new year in style with 97 at the SCG. In his five Teststhis summer, Watson has collected 579runs at 72.37. His quick scoring at the top of the order has been akey to Australia’s positive results, even if scores of 96, 89, 93 and 97have made him a tragi-comic figure. This will be Watson’s first Test atBellerive Oval, where he started his first-class career in 2000-01, and it was his home ground until he moved back to Queensland in 2004-05.Who else but the wicketkeeper? Pakistan’s handling ofthe Kamran Akmal/Sarfraz Ahmed issue has been abysmal and inept. Onwicketkeeping form alone Akmal, who is 28 today, should have been dropped long ago, but hisbatting has kept him alive. Sarfraz is a safe keeper and though not asgame-changing with the bat, he is no mug either, as success on an A tourto Australia last year proves. His debut tomorrow means it is the first time since October 2004 that anyone other than Akmal has put onthe wicketkeeping gloves for Pakistan in a Test match.Team newsThe only change for Australia is the return of Simon Katich, who missedthe Sydney Test with an elbow problem. Phillip Hughes flew home to Sydneyon Tuesday, having been released from the squad, leaving Clint McKay toserve as 12th man for the fourth consecutive match. Marcus North retainedhis place despite struggling for form this summer.Australia 1 Shane Watson, 2 Simon Katich, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Marcus North, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Doug Bollinger.Pakistan have made four changes to the line-up thatimploded in Sydney. Misbah and Iqbal are out, with Malik and Manzoor the beneficiaries.Aamer is fit again and has replaced Mohammad Sami, andSarfraz has come in for Akmal.Pakistan 1 Imran Farhat, 2 Salman Butt, 3 Khurram Manzoor, 4Mohammad Yousuf (capt), 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8Mohammad Aamer, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Danish Kaneria, 11 Mohammad AsifPitch and conditionsHobart is renowned as a swing bowler’s paradise and if the conditions areovercast that is often the case. However, just as often there are big runsto be had and Ricky Ponting was expecting a surface on which his attackwould have to work extra hard for their rewards. “It looks like a prettygood wicket now, a fair bit drier than it has been over the last couple ofdays,” Ponting said. “As the state games have been this year, they’ve beenpretty good batting wickets and it’s been pretty hard to bowl sides out,so I’d imagine this might be the same.” The first two days are likely toprovide perfect, mild conditions but there could be showers over the finalthree days of the Test.Stats and trivia It’s 20 years since Bellerive Oval first hosted a Test but this isthe first time the venue has had a Test in the post-Christmas period In eight Tests at the venue, Australia have won six and drawn two -they have never been beaten The ground hosted one of the most memorable Australian Tests in themodern era, when Adam Gilchrist and Justin Langer rescued Australia from 5for 126 to chase down 369 against Pakistan in 1999-2000 Faisal Iqbal, Pakistan’s No.3, has scored more runs (97) in thisseries than his opposite number Ricky Ponting (80) Nathan Hauritz is the leading wicket-taker in the series so far with 12 wicketsQuotes”What we have to do down here is not let them get back into the game likewe let them start in Sydney. There’s still a lot of mystery around aboutthem.”Ricky Ponting on the riddle that is Pakistan”There is no doubt that Sarfraz will play.”
Intikhab Alam, Pakistan’s coach, puts an end to all speculation regardingPakistan’s wicketkeeper in Hobart