Aussies piece together puzzle for 'predictable' Pakistan

Australia's interim men's team coach Andrew McDonald concedes planning for the first tour to Pakistan in 24 years requires "educated guesses" but is confident his 18-man squad provides sufficient flexibility to cover all contingencies.

The group McDonald will lead in concert with Test captain Pat Cummins is currently undertaking pre-series training in Melbourne with players observing isolation protocols before boarding a plane for Islamabad, where the tour begins in nearby Rawalpindi on March 4.

That will mean Australia's first Test touring party to the Islamic republic since 1998 will have less than a week to sum up conditions for the first of three Tests, with early intelligence indicating Rawalpindi will offer encouragement to fast bowlers.

However, McDonald admits the usually detailed planning that takes place prior to such a significant overseas campaign has taken on a broader focus in recent days to ensure the visitors are as prepared as possible for the month-long tour.

"We're taking some educated guesses based on what we're seeing in recent times there," McDonald told reporters today.

"We're looking at the PSL (ongoing Pakistan Super League tournament), looking at the (centre wicket) squares, and it's obviously at the back end of their season as well.

"So we're covering all bases there, from turning wickets to potentially wickets with grass on (them).

"Our preparation probably takes on a greater range and is less specific than what we would do if we knew exactly what we were getting ... and is a lot wider in terms of the conversations that we're having.

"But we feel the squad's balanced and there's enough options for whatever the case may be when we land on the ground."

One of those options is the potential deployment of allrounder Cameron Green as a front-line seamer should conditions in Rawalpindi, Karachi (second Test) or Lahore (third) dictate Australia include two specialist spinners in their starting XI.

Green enjoyed a break-out summer in Australia's 4-0 Vodafone Ashes defeat of England in which he averaged 32.57 (more than celebrated teammate Steve Smith) with the bat and claimed 13 wickets at 15.76 with his more-than-useful seamers.

However, given the 22-year-old's history of back injuries and the fact he entered Test cricket in 2020 while observing a strictly monitored bowling workloads program, he sent down only 80 overs during his five Ashes appearances this summer.

McDonald said concerns related to heaping extra responsibility upon Green as a third quick would likely be mitigated by conditions that more obviously favoured spinners, plus the potential to play an auxiliary allrounder such as Green's WA teammate Mitchell Marsh to further reduce his bowling requirements.

"It's a definite option if we did go that way," McDonald said of Green's possible use as a first-change quick.

"Cameron Green would bowl a lot more overs in the first innings than potentially he normally would, but over the course of the game the spinners would probably pick up a lot more of the work at the back end and in the second innings of the game.

"But we're cautious that it's a long-term journey for Cameron Green and what he's been able to deliver has been second-to-none so far.

“So we're excited that he could be able to do that role. And then we've got other options in terms of Mitch Marsh if you were to bring him in and play two allrounders.”

McDonald confirmed recalled veteran Usman Khawaja was expected to partner his junior cricket teammate David Warner at the top of Australia's batting order, with "spare" batter Marcus Harris being viewed as an option to bat anywhere in the top six should enforced changes be required.

He also downplayed the relevance of experience incumbent quicks Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood might have gleaned from their 2007 tour to Pakistan with Australia's under-19 team, when they played in Lahore against a team that included Test-capped opener Shan Masood.

McDonald said despite Pakistan teams having a reputation for being 'mercurial' with performances that oscillate wildly between remarkable and lamentable, the Australians had an idea of what to expect even though their previous four 'away' series against Pakistan had been variously played in Sri Lanka, the UK and United Arab Emirates.

"It's difficult to tell (whether) Pakistan in Pakistan is different to Pakistan in the UAE," McDonald said.

"It's said that Pakistan are unpredictable but I think that in their own conditions, there's an element of predictability in that they like to draw games out, they play the long game, they're patient and they play their conditions well.

"It's been well documented that Australian teams struggle in the subcontinent and have had difficulty.

"They've got some great spin bowling options, and their fast bowlers – Shaheen Shah Afridi keeps getting better every year with his left-arm pace. He swings the ball, and can reverse swing the ball as well.

"They've got a sensational pace attack and we're going to be tested with that ... but we've got some exciting players as well with Mitchell Starc, and Cummins and Hazlewood and Green.

"I think it's going to be a really good contest."

Qantas Tour of Pakistan 2022

Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Zahid Mahmood

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner. On standby: Sean Abbott, Brendan Doggett, Nic Maddinson, Matthew Renshaw

March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi

March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi

March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore

Australia ODI and T20 squad: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi

March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi

April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi

April 5: Only T20I, Rawalpindi

All matches to be broadcast in Australia on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports