Pakistan 'confident' Yasir fit for Gabba

Pakistan have played down fears they could be without star leg-spinner Yasir Shah, declaring they are "confident" he will be fit for Thursday's opening Test match against Australia.

Yasir sent a scare through the Pakistan camp last week when he pulled up with a back injury ahead of their opening tour match, against a Cricket Australia XI in Cairns.

But opening batsman Azhar Ali, who top scored with an unbeaten 82 against the pink ball in North Queensland, said Yasir was making good progress.

"He's improving really well and we're really confident he will be fit for the first Test," Azhar declared.

The news will be welcome relief for Pakistan and their supporters, with the team seeking to win a series for the first time on Australian soil.

Quick Single: Injured Yasir puts Pakistan in a spin

Yasir, who is Pakistan’s best bowler on the International Cricket Council's rankings and the world’s leading leg-spinner, also missed Pakistan's last Test against New Zealand at Hamilton after they opted for four pacemen on a grassy Seddon Park pitch.

The 30-year-old went wicket-less for the first time in his 20-match career in the first Test against the Kiwis but he is expected to play a key role for Pakistan in the upcoming series in Australia where the pitches are likely to have more bounce and carry, providing assistance to his style of bowling.

Along with the expected boost to their bowling stocks, Azhar said the Pakistan squad would benefit greatly from lessons learned against the pink Kookaburra in Cairns.

"Playing with the pink ball in Australia is different to playing with it in Dubai, and in night conditions when the lights come on it starts to do a bit more," Ali said.

"We're very satisfied with what we got although the wicket was not as quick as we thought it would be but still it was good time in the middle.

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"It did swing a bit, especially when the lights come on. We've got a lot of ideas about what we can do in the night time. And still in the day time also it does offer a little bit for the bowlers."

With Mitchell Starc back approaching his best after dominating in the Chappell-Hadlee one-day series, and licking his lips at the prospect of terrorising the tourists who suffered batting collapses under lights in both matches, the Pakistanis are nevertheless brimming with confidence.

"We were very satisfied with what we got," Azhar said.

"Everyone got time in the middle, that was the most important thing. Getting runs is a different thing but spending time and getting used to (the pink ball) is very important."

"As a batting unit we are really confident we have all the capability and the confidence to deliver in these conditions.

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And with three left-arm quicks in their squad, the tourists are confident they'll be able to nullify Starc's threat.

"We have a lot of left-armers but Mitchell Starc is obviously different. We're looking forward to playing him but, yeah, having three left-armers in our nets will help."

The first Commonwealth Bank Test against Pakistan gets underway on Thursday at 1pm (2pm AEDT). 

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