Young top order up to Aussie challenge

Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur believes his young top order is well equipped to handle the challenges set to be thrown at them by Australia's pace attack in the upcoming three-Test series beginning in Brisbane on Thursday.

Batting prodigy Babar Azam – who Arthur last week compared to Virat Kohli – and opener Sami Islam are 22 and 21 respectively, and will occupy two of the top three places in company with experienced opener Azhar Ali.

Quick single: Arthur returns with a point to prove

Babar (three Tests) made world headlines in October when he hit three consecutive ODI hundreds against West Indies, while Sami was dependable at the top of the order during Pakistan's drawn series in England, made a Test-best 91 against New Zealand in Hamilton and has six fifties to his name in nine matches to date.

Old heads Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq follow that trio in the order, with 50-Test veteran Asad Shafiq rounding out the top six.

Explosive 'keeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed, who scored a rollicking hundred against Australia in Dubai in 2014 and averages 41, looms as a dangerous prospect at No.7.

Arthur moved to qualify his comment regarding Babar but was confident his batsmen could perform well in Australian conditions where, traditionally, they have struggled; only two Pakistanis have made hundreds Down Under in six Tests this century. 

"The comment on Babar Azam the other day was taken out of proportion a little bit, but Babar Azam is young … he's going to be a fantastic player," he said.

"He's going to be a very, very good player.

"The guys are all pretty good technicians. I look at our top three and they’re technically very sound.

"Number six, Asad Shafiq, is a very, very good player, technically outstanding.

"So we do have good technicians who if they do get in will score and score fairly quickly.

"I just hope they get stuck in here, have the belief in their ability, because they've got that in abundance, and then we'll see a really good series."

Nathan Lyon was dealt a harsh lesson by Pakistan's batting group in the UAE the last time the two sides met, taking combined figures of 3-422 in two Tests.

The off-spinner believes he'll benefit from the conditions in Brisbane, where he's taken 24 wickets at 23.96 in five Tests.

On the flipside, none of the tourists have played Test cricket at the Gabba, with Pakistan not having visited Brisbane for a five-day clash since 1999.

"They're a world-class batting and bowling line-up so it's going to be a good challenge for us all over the park," Lyon said today.

"They play spin well but hopefully I can generate as bit more bounce than I did in the UAE.

"Hopefully there will be a little bit more pace in the wicket as well so if there are any nicks they carry and will be able to hit the splice of the bats, with a few bat pads and a few caught I hope."

Arthur conceded that his side's returns with the bat in their lone Test warm-up in Cairns had been disappointing, but overall took positive signs from last week's contest in which they comfortably outplayed a young Cricket Australia XI across three days.

"I thought we played quite well actually," he said. "Batting was a little bit of a struggle and there's no secret we need to get some runs and adapting outside our own conditions is difficult – it's like Australia playing in the subcontinent.

"So we're working extremely hard on that. But I was so impressed by the way we bowled; I thought we bowled fantastically well.

"We fielded very, very well, caught well behind the stumps. So we ticked a lot of boxes which was great."

International cricket is more affordable than ever this summer, with adult tickets from $30, kids from $10 and family packages from $65 across every day of international cricket. Price for purchase at match. Transaction fee from $6.95 applies to online and other purchases. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.